


The legacy of Berk

by eeliejun



Category: How to Train Your Dragon (Movies)
Genre: Action/Adventure, F/M, Family, Fanfiction, Romance, War
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-08-29
Updated: 2017-03-04
Packaged: 2018-08-11 21:37:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 8
Words: 33,782
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7908454
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/eeliejun/pseuds/eeliejun
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>War can change people for the worst of the better. but for Hiccup it opened a new door... its 15 years later ofter how to train your dragon 2 and Berk has changed a lot. it became bigger, mightier than anyone ever could have imagined in their wildest dream. but to . but to accomplish that Hiccup had done a lot of things he can't be proud of or ever will be.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Tribute

**Author's Note:**

> First of all, welcome to the story. Now this story will be about action, romance, drama and family. now my story will have some changes from canon. The first thing is I will mostly ignore the tv show. But I will use it sometimes. Now about Snotlout... He will be a lot smarter and tactful in this story. So he will be a lot different from the canon. also, this will be on the darker side. So dark hiccup but also not you will understand if you read the story anyway enjoy.

First I want to thank closetnightmares for helping me rewrite the chapters to make a much better story. Check their stories if you can and want.

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Bloodcurdling screams, the heat of the fires, dragons and the stench of death. That was all Hiccup could recall of the final battle between Berk and Drago Bludvist. It often bothered him, as the more he thought back on it, he realized how war was truly unusual in it's capacity to change people for the better or even the worse.

Hiccup's only real wish in life had always been peace and prosperity for the people and dragons of the Archipelago nothing more. Was such a thing too much to ask? But it was never that easy just wishing for peace. Those were wishes of a child. Hiccup believed that if someone truly wanted it, then sometimes they must take it. Even if meant that their image would be forever tarnished and people would never see them the same again. Even if it meant becoming a devil in the eyes of those they wanted to help, Hiccup still thought that such a thing was justified. After all, war always had a price.

Hiccup sat up with a yawn, rubbing at his bleary eyes. The birds' songs are so nice in the morning. Even so I still HATE mornings! he thought to himself. I'm a night person, for Thor's sake!

The blanket that covered his legs began to move as the other person in the bed shifted. Hiccup smiled and shook his head as he marveled at the beautiful woman beside him. Well, I guess the only thing that's nice in the morning is to wake up next to my wife.

"Good morning, my lady." He murmured while affectionately stroking her blonde hair that glowed so brightly in the morning light. Blessed by such a sight, he could only wish for that moment to go on forever.

"Mmm, good morning, dragon boy," Astrid said with her eyes still closed. A small smile tugged at her lips, and upon noticing Hiccup grinned.

"Did you sleep well?" He questioned his wife as he removed his hand from her hair.

"Yeah, but I really don't want to get up," Astrid grumbled, turning onto her side to face away from Hiccup.

"My apologies, my lady, but we have a meeting today." Hiccup pulled her back toward him.

"Ugh, do we have to? Can't we just sleep?" Astrid questioned as she popped an eye open to stare up at her husband.

"Sorry, my lady part of the job as Queen of Greater Berk," Hiccup said with his goofy grin. Before he could say anything else, Astrid took him by the collar and kissed him fervently.

"I love you hiccup," she said breathlessly when she pulled back.

"Love you too my lady." Hiccup said while staring into her deep blue eyes, already half-lost in them...but a knock on the door startled the two out of their little moment.

"Come in!" Hiccup shouted, reluctantly turning away from his wife.

"My king and queen, it's time for the meeting. " Nobu stated while looking down, feeling guilty for disturbing their moment.

"Thanks, Nobu, Astrid and I will be there shortly. Can you stall them for a couple minutes?" Hiccup asked the man with a wink.

"Of-Of course, my king," Nobu said and hastily closed the door of the room. Hiccup waited until the sound of footsteps had vanished to turn back to Astrid, who was now gazing up at him with a smirk.

"So...where were we?" Hiccup asked with a mischievous grin.  
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"Land in sight, Captain!"

"Where is Chief Asvard"? The captain asked.

"Talking to his son, sir!"

"Go get him for me. We are nearing the capital of Greater Berk and we'll be docking in an hour."

"Yes, sir!" Asvard shouted before departing with a salute. No one ever said no to Captain Oglin. The man is insane on the same level of Dagur the Deranged. Once, Captain Oglin attacked ten ships with only his own. It was a complete suicide mission. As a result, the enemy captured him, and in return for their troubles they cut one of his eyes out. Later, when he was released from his prison, he took revenge on them in the most unspeakable ways. But that would be a story for another time.

"Son, please listen to me. He is our king, we can't show disrespect towards him. You know this!" The Chief pleaded. "We will deliver the tribute and then we will go back home, Bjorn."

"Why do I need to show respect to a hiccup of all people?" Bjorn scoffed in disgust.

"Because he is our king, Bjorn! You would do well to do as you are told!" The Chief of The Misty Skull Tribe shouted, his face red with anger.

"But Dad! If we fought him we could regain our freedom!" Bjorn matched his father's tone, not wanting to stand down.

"And after that? War? Poverty? Will you condemn your people to a war they can't win? Do you want to be the last Chief of The Misty Skulls Bjorn?" The Chief asked angrily.

But before Bjorn started to reply his dad interrupted him. "Son… King Hiccup is a good king- I know it's hard for you to understand, but Hiccup has made peace for the whole of the Barbaric Archipelago. We have known lasting peace for 8 years under his rule. You were only six when king Hiccup became High King of Greater Berk. You never knew dragon raids, any war, any hunger. The times are changing son and The Misty Skull Tribe will support the High King." The Chief explained with a more calm tone than before.

"Bu-t da-" Bjorn started to disagree again.

"Enough, Bjorn! My decision is final!" The chief shouted one final time as he finally exited the room and slammed the door shut. Bjorn gritted his teeth in anger.

Why can't he understand that we must stop him before we can't go back, Bjorn thought to himself.

Line break.

"Ugh, that hurts…" Asvard groaned while rubbing his back. Apparently, he had run into something, and that something, or rather a someone, was clearing their throat urgently. Asvard looked up and saw his chief.

"Sorry Chief, I thought I hit a tree. Hehehehe." Asvard rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly.

"Tell me what's wrong Asvard and be quick about it. I'm not In the mood for jokes."

The man in question straightened up. "S-Sir the captain sent to me that the capital is in sight. W-We will dock in an hour," Asvard said, fumbling through his words.

"Great to hear my friend make the tribute and gift ready for The King and the envoy."

"R-Right awa-y, sir…" Asvard mumbled, still stumbling over his words.

"Men, listen to me!" The Chief shouted to the entire crew of the ship. "I know that for many this will be the first time to see the capital of our fine nation of Greater Berk. It is quite different in comparison to our humble village or to the even great fortress city of Dragon Edge. It is much more extravagant. So, men, feast your eyes on the capital of Greater Berk!"  
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A lot had changed for Berk in 15 years, seeing as how it became the biggest city in the Barbaric Archipelago. When Berk was only a village it had at most 300 people living there and it was a small village in comparison to The Berserker Tribe, but that was in the past.

Now, Berk was the center of the Barbaric Archipelago in trade, politics, and war. 7000 people lived in Berk, people who ranged from commoners to nobles. It really was the center of the empire. It's also the second most fortified place in the Archipelago, with walls that dwarfed any other Viking city. If the last chief of Berk would have been alive to see Berk now, he would not believe how far it had come in only 15 years. The first thing you would see when coming to the capital was the port. To say it's big would be minimizing it. It was huge! Trade ships go in and out of Berk's ports, countless warships patrol the sea around the island and move to lands still unknown in order to promote expansion. But before one could get to the port, they would need to get past two huge towers that flank the port on the sides. These were the first defenses of Berk. Mighty towers with great siege engines on them. Rumors go that even if a whole armada would attack only one tower, it would not succumb to any threat no matter how great.

Berk was believed to be invincible.  
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An hour later, the ship docked at the port of the capital.

"Welcome to the capital, Chief Skuldron of The Misty Skull Tribe!" Four guards shouted in complete unison, all with an arm folded across their chest in a common salute.

"Not these guys…" The Chief muttered in annoyance as he stepped from the ship ramp onto the dock. Suddenly all the guards got down to one knee and bowed.

"Long live the High King." They recited in matched tones.

Between the men, Bjorn saw another man walking toward them. He was not as big as his dad but who was? His dad was as big as a tree. But the air of this person was different, not a good kind of different, but more that kind of different where you wanted to run away from the person and never see them again. It was intimidating.

"Lord Snotlout great to see you again!" The Chief said while bowing to the man.

Wait Lord Snotlout like the Lord of Dragon Edge? The place where no ship or army can pass without being seen and sunk to the bottom of the ocean? Bjorn thought to himself in a combination of awe and fear.

"On a knee Bjorn! Now!" His dad said in an urgent whisper. Bjorn reluctantly got on one knee and looked at the ruler of Dragon Edge.

Snotlout was wearing incredible armor. The shoulders were fairly rounded and wide, decorated with a metal bat wing on each side, and elegantly curved towards the sides that supported a black cloak. His breastplate was made from one large piece of metal—covering almost every part of him, and in the middle it sported the crest of Greater Berk.

Next to him there were two other people of Dragon Edge. The only difference was that they have a helmet on with a face guard shaped like a skull. Attached to their forehead is a dragon-head-shaped ornament to represent to Jorgenson crest.

"Welcome to Berk, Chief Skuldron." Snotlout greeted the newcomers formally while looking at the ship of the Misty Skulls. "What a nice ship you've got there Skuldron… but, if I might ask, why are there so many men on your ship? Expecting some trouble here?" Snotlout asked, eyeing the chief suspiciously.

"Ah, never my lord! Most of the people that are with me are still young and have never seen Berk."

"That's Greater Berk to you, Skuldron!" Snotlout snapped. "Never forget, Skuldron, we are the first defense and sword of High King Hiccup. If you dare to make so much as one other offense to the empire, I will personally lead the Sentinels of Loyalty to your little shit hole of a village and burn it like we did the Berserker's tribe."

"My lord forgive me I was out of line!" The Chief pleaded with Snotlout. The only thing Bjorn felt was humiliation in the presence of his groveling father.

"Very well, I will give you a small tour of Berk and then take you to the high king." Snotlout said while sending the four guards away to help the crew unload the ship.

"I can't thank you enough for the warm welcome Lord Snotlout," The Chief gratefully thanked their escort while giving a sign to Asvard.

AH! Damn the gift for the representative nearly forgot it, Asvard thought while going through the tribute chests. Ah, here it is! Asvard grabbed the gift hastily and quickly presented it to Lord Snotlout.

The gift was a weapon with a long, thick, smooth blade made of Gronkle steel that was held by a grip wrapped in gold-colored scaled leather. Because it was sharp on just one edge, the weapon would protect you from incoming blows. The blade had a jagged, curved crossguard on it, upon which rested the crest of Greater Berk. The blade itself was engraved and read:

þinn sem berjast munu rísa til Valhallar og borða við borð guðanna

"Thanks, Chief Skuldron," Snotlout gave the sword an experimental swing. "It's a great sword and I will surely use it when the next war starts." Snotlout says while looking at Bjorn.

"Hahaha you are joking my Lord, the empire has known peace for the last 8 years," The Chief said while laughing nervously. "Who would dare to go to war against this great empire?"

"Chief, as you know times are changing again… And the continent of Europe is on the move… War will come to us. Whether you want to or not, my two sons and I can't wait to bash some skulls in for King Hiccup." Snotlout said while putting his hands on the respective shoulders of the two men next to him. "Now come we will start with the tour for the young ones."

"Okay, everyone follow me, but please stay with us, it's a large city and I don't want you to get lost!" The chief declared to his crew as they began to walk toward the heart of Greater Berk.

When the travelers from the Misty Skull Tribe passed through the docks they got washed over with a feeling of wonder… The dock was the center of trade in Berk and the surrounding regions. It has everything from food to weapons to jewelry. Every trader needed to be registered at the Nordic Trade League, which was led by the biggest trader in Greater Berk, Johann the Trader. After the league building, they saw the first wall of Berk. It was not as big as the main wall but it still dwarfed most walls from other cities. After that, it's a long walk for about 10 minutes to the top of Berk. When they got to the top, they were met with the second wall, and that wall is the main defense of Berk— standing at 20 meters high and completely made out of smooth stone. Four great towers have a good sight on the only place you can reach Berk on foot. It was certainly a sight to see…

After passing the gate, they would finally enter the city of Berk.

"Lord Snotlout why are there so many people here? Is there going to be a celebration or something?" Bjorn asked while looking at the people on the street in amazement.

"Hahaha, no my boy this is a normal day on Berk now." Snotlout said while laughing at the look on Bjorn's face.

"Now guys, go explore the capital and enjoy your hard earned money on something you like!" The Chief shouted to his crew.

"Wait! Before you go, stay away from the East District! If you dare go there, I will personally flog you to death." Snotlout said with no room to argue to the crew that was about to leave. Five seconds later only Skuldron, Bjorn, Snotlout and his two sons and the guards that were carrying the tribute were left at the plaza.

"Great, now we can go on." Snotlout said with a grin that was charming, yet lethal.

After walking for half an hour, they reached the keep. It's a lot farther from the city than one would think… but it looks amazing since it was made completely of polished white marble. Around the castle, there were only open plains, and the castle itself stood on a large hill. On the walls, lodged in small alcoves, were siege engines like ballistas and catapults. The only thing that looked remotely strange was the second wall sticking out of the castle.

"Um Lord Snotlout, why is there a second wall sticking out of the side of the castle?" Bjorn asked curiously, pointing to the strange anomaly.

"Hahaha, that is a secret, my boy, only a couple of people in the whole empire know why… now stop asking questions or I will think that you are trying to spy on us, and you know what happens with spies here in the empire." Snotlout said with a sadistic grin directed towards the tall boy.

"Don't worry my Lord, The Misty Skulls are a loyal clan!" The chief butted in proudly while giving a penetrating look to his son to be quiet.

"Skuldron relax, it was a joke." Snotlout said with a sly grin.

A pale looking Bjorn swallowed and muttered to himself, "A bad one."

When they approached the castle, the massive drawbridge was lowered and trumpets began playing to announce their arrival. "Chief Skuldron! Welcome to the heart of The Empire, Runestone Castle," Lord Snotlout said as the group was saluted by the castle guards.

End of chapter one


	2. Chapter 2 The meeting

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Welcome to the next chapter of The Legacy of Berk. First of all, I changed some things in chapter one only small things like formatting and some mistakes that I made and didn't notice while checking the chapter. And adding a word of two nothing mayor. I will revise my chapter sometimes when I see something work or things I don’t like but nothing significant. I will always do this when I release a new chapter. Now to the next chapter Please enjoy.

First I want to thank closetnightmares for helping me rewrite the chapters to make a much better story. Check their stories if you can and want.  
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"Hiccup, breakfast is ready!" Astrid called from downstairs.

Hiccup groaned. "Yeah, I'm coming! The buckles of my leg are really giving me trouble today..." he answered with a huff.

"Men. Honestly, they can't do anything without a woman helping them," Astrid said in amusement while going up the stairs to check on her husband's progress. She found him still sitting on the side of their bed with his green eyes focused diligently on trying to buckle his prosthetic foot. After 16 years of marriage, one would think that a couple would become more normal around each other but such was not the case for Astrid and Hiccup. Even after all this time, she still couldn't shake the feeling of butterflies in her stomach. Though, maybe that's what love really is.

Folding her arms in mock disapproval, Astrid smirked at her husband. "Do you need some help with that dragon boy?" She threw a hinting look to his leg.

"Unfortunately, yes, my lady. I do need help. This thing is killing me today." Hiccup said with a grim expression on his face.

"Give it here, then!" Astrid exclaimed with a happy smile and knelt before her husband, lifting his prosthetic foot up and beginning to fasten the straps.

Hiccup sighed. "Thanks, Astrid. I really owe you one."

Astrid shook her head as she released his foot. "Don't be silly Hiccup, I'm your wife. This is the least I can do for you." She reached up to cup his cheeks affectionately, smiling sweetly.

Hiccup's leg had definitely changed a lot over the years, seeing as how before it had only three settings. One for the usual day to day tasks, one for flying, and one for walking on ice or other slippery surfaces. But now, after 16 years, the leg had become more of an asset than a prosthetic limb. It had been remade countless times to suit Hiccup's ever changing needs. But the current model was, as expected, the best so far. It was decidedly larger to better support Hiccup's tall build, and was much smoother with an overall grayish color. The back side of the leg had an automatic spring that would release a small throwing knife if the need so arose. Of course, such a situation would never happen again, not if Astrid had any say in it.

"If you want, I can call the healer?" Astrid questioned, forcing the string of memories out of her mind.

"Nah, it's fine—a bit agitated maybe—but it's tolerable. I've dealt with worse." Hiccup wore a rueful smile.

Astrid sighed and stood up. "Well, if it becomes any worse than this, don't you dare hesitate to let me know, my love." She leaned down to place a light kiss on his mouth. "Now it's time to eat!" Astrid voiced in a cheerful tone, taking her husband's hand and practically dragging him downstairs.  
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"Commander!" Two Valkyrie guards yelled as they bowed respectfully to the approaching young woman.

This woman was a tall, skinny girl with blonde hair braided in one long tail, and a couple of metal plates in between the strands. Her pale blue eyes were shining like the moon in the night sky and they contrasted well against a backdrop of milky white skin and the smattering of freckles on her arms that only added to her beauty. And on top of it all, she was a child of Berk's Royalty. The daughter of Hiccup and Astrid. Most people wouldn't believe that a girl such as she could even be of this world. In fact, there were rumors in the empire that Freya herself had sent the girl to Midgard to lead the people to a new age.

"Be at ease girls." The young commander said with a small smile as she stopped in front of the guards.

"Going back home?" One of the guards questioned.

"Yeah, it's been a long night." The commander rubbed the back of her neck. "The new children were a handful to train for the order. I can't wait to go home and see my family. I'd like to sleep for a whole year." The girl said with a small laugh.

"Was it really that bad?" The other guard inquired. Both girls interests had been piqued.

"Oh, don't get me started, it was an absolute mess. Most of them are still really young and have a hard time adjusting to their training. but they're devoted to join the order." The young woman threw a glance to the door behind the guards in a clear gesture of her desire to keep moving. "Can I pass?"

"Ah! O-Of course, my lady, excuse us for taking so much of your time." One of the guards uttered with a flustered look on her face. The other guard dipped her head in apology.

The commander grinned and waved a hand at the two girls. "Don't worry about it. I'll see you both for training in a couple of hours." The guards bowed and stepped aside to let her pass.

As the door shut behind them, the first guard sighed and folded her arms. "I don't particularly like training with the commander, but I really hope that the general will stay away from training. Her training is just insane." The two guards both grimaced as they recollected the last time the general had shown up for training.  
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There was a knock on the door.

"Yeah, you can come in Rune." A voice called from within the room.

The girl pushed the door open with a huff, silently cursing how much effort it took her tired body. But she put on a smile for her family. "Hi, Dad, did you sleep well?" Rune asked while giving her father a light kiss on the cheek. Yawning, she snagged a piece of fruit from the round table in the middle of the room.

"Yeah, I did sweetie, How was training? Are the recruits doing a good job?" Hiccup asked, only just then noticing the thick bags under his daughter's eyes.

"Ugh, don't even get me started Dad, it's a complete mess to say the least." Rune groaned.

"Don't worry Rune, I'm sure you'll do great. Just give it some time." Her mother stated encouragingly and gave her daughter a comforting hug.

"Thanks, Mom. They really just need more training and a lot more discipline. There are a couple of girls that are showing great promise, but…" Rune said shooting a pleading glance to her mother.

"I can help you with the training at noon today if you would like?" Her mom asked with a reassuring smile while setting the table for breakfast.

"Oh, that would be great Mom, thanks!" Rune exclaimed, giving her mother a grateful hug. As she stepped back her eyes flashed as though she had just remembered something important. "Oh, that's right! Mom, have you seen Ari? I need to ask her something."

"She's still dressing, she should be down in a couple of minutes for breakfast."

"Ah, okay, tell her she needs to be ready for the training too." Rune took a bite of her apple.

"I'll do that, sweetie." Her mother said while placing a plate of freshly baked white bread on the table.

"Will you eat breakfast with us?" Her dad asked her, beginning his own meal.

"No, sorry Dad, Mom. I'm really too tired to eat. " Rune yawned. "I think I'll just have an apple and then sleep for a couple of hours." She told her parents.

"No problem sweetie. Just don't forget to eat when you wake up." Her mother added as Rune ascended the stairs to her room. She disappeared with the clicking of a door just a moment later.

"Ari, breakfast is ready!" Astrid called to her youngest daughter from the stairs.

"Coming Mom, just give me five more minutes!" Ari called back down to her mother.

Astrid sighed and shook her head. "I really hope she wasn't up late reading again." She turned to her husband, pointing an accusatory finger at him. "She gets that from you, you know."

Hiccup laughed at his wife and set his spoon down on the table, adopting a playfully serious look. "That might be true, but she gets her stubbornness from you."

Astrid frowned and opened her mouth to reply but Hiccup cut her off as he gestured to her with his fork. "So, will you go with me to the meeting?" he asked.

"Always one to change the subject." Astrid looked at him affectionately. "I'll probably be a bit late, but I'll be there—so you can just go ahead." She said with a smile so beautiful that Hiccup was stunned for a couple of minutes.

In those silent moments, their youngest daughter had come into the room with a yawned good morning and her hair as messy as ever. She had taken a seat at the table across from Hiccup, and without so much as even an utterance, she had proceeded to start loading her plate with slice after slice of bread.

Hiccup sighed. "All right then, I'm leaving. We can't let them wait too long, can we?" He said as he stood up from his chair. "Ari, I'm going. Be good today," The king joked to his younger daughter.

"Buhye D-addy, fee 'ou la'er!" Ari shouted through a mouthful of bread. Though her speech was terribly garbled, Hiccup knew she had intended to say, "Bye Daddy, see you later." The thought made him smile.

"And I'll see you soon, my lady," Hiccup whispered to his wife while giving her a deep kiss that she couldn't help to sink into, so she just closed her eyes and enjoyed her husband's lips. After a while, they separated and stared each other in the eyes for a moment. But Hiccup reluctantly let her go and left, still grinning, for the meeting.

"See you soon, dragon boy." Astrid called after him, folding her arms and grinning.  
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"Welcome Lord Snotlout! How was your voyage to the capital?" The Valkyrie guard asked while giving the lord a small bow.

"It was great, we found some pirates on the way here and had a short battle with them. I really hoped they would have fought to the end, but they wanted to surrender to us—those cowards!" Snotlout explained to the guard with a disappointed look on his face. "But after that we found nothing! No pirates, no raiders, nothing can you believe it?" Snotlout grumbled in a heated tone.

"Sorry to hear that Lord Snotlout." The guard replied with a straight face.

Snotlout turned back to his party and set his gaze on the Chief of the Misty Skull Tribe. "Chief Skuldron, I will now lead you to the throne hall so we can give our greetings to the King," he declared.

"Great to hear Lord Snotlout, thanks for accompanying us to the High King." The Chief said while giving his son and guards a sign to follow.

Bjorn couldn't move or even speak because of the shock he was experiencing at the moment. There were about twenty Valkyrie guards lining the corridor, and they were beautiful to say the least.

"Ummm Lord Snotlout... Why are all the guards women?" Bjorn asked in a quiet and shy tone.

Snotlout snorted. "Hahaha, my boy, these are shield maidens handpicked by the Queen to serve as royal bodyguards for the King and herself. I will give you one bit of advice: Never say that they are just women-they can kick your ass to Valhalla and back to Midgard-sometimes twice if it's necessary." Snotlout rubbed his neck as though remembering a time when he had experienced such a thing, though a moment later he waved an arm at the others and beckoned them forward. He laughed while leading the group though the long corridor that was ornately decorated with beautiful golden carvings.

But Bjorn could not stop looking at the Valkyries… Rows and rows of them were aligned in the hall from the entrance to the exit. Though they exuded a beautiful aura, behind that facade, there was something else, something almost like a lust for blood. Bjorn gulped hard and looked away, trying to get the images out of his head.

"Boy! Don't stare, it's rude!" The chief said in a strict tone as he nudged his son's shoulder roughly. "We don't want to have any problems with the Valkyrie order. They could kill us all without even breaking a sweat."

"Hahaha, I can get why the boy is staring." Snotlout exclaimed over his shoulder. "They do look like goddesses don't they?"

"Y-Yeah." The boy answered breathlessly, his cheeks slightly pink.

"You're right about that, but they're really more like demons than goddesses. They're all girls that don't have any parents or families anymore. All are fiercely loyal and impossibly deadly. If they get an interest in you… just run my boy or you will be whipped till you're the greatest man that will ever walk Midgard." Snotlout laughed. "Trust me, my wife has been doing it for 16 years."

One of Snotlout's sons came up next to Bjorn and leaned close to his ear. "Believe me, Bjorn, Dad is a total wuss against mom. The moment she raises her voice he becomes such a wimp he can only get on his knees and beg forgiveness," he finished with a chuckle, but Bjorn could not see his expression because of the skull helmet that the man wore on his head.

"Oi! Daine be quiet, if your mom hears you we'll both be dead," Snotlout hissed to his son as he came to a stop before a set of massive doors.

The head guard stepped forward and dipped his head in respect. "Good morning, Lord Snotlout. The King will see you in a couple of minutes."

"Thanks, Thir. We'll just wait here then." Snotlout said while looking back at the small group behind him. Another guard came up to Thir and whispered something in his ear, which was told to Snotlout by the head guard. The lord nodded as he received the message and looked to the group. "Chief Skuldron, please wait here with my sons while I see the King to announce that you have arrived in the capital."

"Of course, Lord Snotlout." Skuldron answered while sitting with his son in the chairs provided for the waiting emissaries next to the door.

"Open the door!" Thir called to the other Valkyrie guards who quickly began to obey the order.

After Snotlout had passed the threshold, the guards closed the massive steel doors with a soft thud.  
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"So Bjorn, how do you like the capital?" Daine asked the young boy that was looking in awe at his surroundings, not believing his eyes.

"It's a lot different from home, Sir." Bjorn replied with a nervous chuckle.

"Hahaha no need for formalities, Bjorn, I'm only 16." Diane laughed and took a seat next to the heir and The Chief of The Misty Skull Tribe. "I don't think my brother and I have introduced ourselves to you. I'm Daine, and this is my brother, Leif." Daine told the heir, clapping a hand on his shoulder. "We're the left and righthand men of our father."

Suddenly, Thir emerged from the great doors and saluted the group. Everyone stood up. "You can now see the King, Chief Skuldron." Thir said, gesturing to the guards, who began to open the doors.

Both doors opened fully this time, bringing the group's attention to the ornate meeting hall of the castle. Elegant painted tapestries adorned the carved stone walls and the floor was a stark slate black. There were a few torches lit along the walls that cast a warm orange glow about the room.

The King immediately stood from his throne on the far wall and extended his arms in welcome. "Welcome, Chief Skuldron, to Greater Berk." Hiccup said regally, with a small inclination of his head.

Skuldron walked forward and dropped to one knee as the rest of his company did the same. "We are honored to be here, Your Majesty."

"How was the trip? No problems I would hope?" Hiccup asked with a smile as he walked closer to the small party that was now standing before him.

"It was great! No pirates or storms, so I really can't complain at all." The Chief answered with a smile. He turned swiftly to nod to his guards—it was the signal to present the tribute chest to the King.

"Your majesty, we came here to deliver our yearly tribute to you." Skuldron explained happily as he gestured to the big chest being brought forth.

Bjorn scrutinized Hiccup closely, watching every single one of the man's movements. He still didn't understand why their tribute was necessary. Berk already had more resources than anywhere else in the Archipelago! But still, every year, all the chiefs and governors in the empire would give a yearly tribute to the high king regardless of status. The gift was not always money, as it depended on what the tribe valued or had enough surplus of to manage giving some away. Sometimes it would be jewels, animals, gold, trained dragons, warriors, fur, food, or even weapons. The list went on and on. The more a tribe would give to the king, the higher their standing would be in the empire. Of course, the high king knew that this system was not perfect, especially for the ordinary people. So he had made it so that people of low birth rank that had made great contributions to the empire could quickly gain a higher rank.

But Bjorn still found the whole system a tad bit over the top.

Skuldron cleared his throat and saluted. "My King, may I present you with ten thousand golden coins to support the progress and expansion of the empire. We are also going to tribute you fifteen cows and thirty sheep."

"Thank you, Chief Skuldron. Your gracious tribute will be used well to expand this great empire and to help its people." The King said with an approving grin directed at the Misty Skull tribesmen.

"Expanding? More like massacring." A guard from The Misty Skull Tribe said in a mocking tone to the guard next to him.

In the next moment, the first thing Bjorn registered in his mind was an earsplitting scream. He looked behind him and saw one of his people collapsed to the floor, moaning in pain. There was an ax protruding from his left leg.

Behind the group stood a blonde-haired woman, who wore a fierce scowl. "Never call my husband a killer!" She shouted at the top of her lungs, pointing accusatorially toward the group of tribesmen. Every Valkyrie guard in the room immediately took a knee and bowed.

"My lady," Hiccup started. "Can you please let the man live? People will always have opinions, even if you don't like them." He wore a sour expression.

Neither Astrid nor Hiccup liked to hurt people without any provocation. But if they let a common guard talk about them with no punishment, then other chiefs and governors would use it against them. It was Hiccup's job to keep order in the empire so that everyone would stay safe, so sometimes a display of power was necessary in order to complete that goal.

Astrid, still scowling, nodded her approval of Hiccup's statement and took a stiff stance with her hands clasped behind her back. Her eyes did not lift from the group standing before Hiccup.

Bjorn looked at his father, appalled that the man was not helping or saying anything to their wounded tribesman. "Dad," Bjorn whispered urgently. "He's hurt, we need to help him."

"Leave him!" Skuldron nearly shouted at his son. "We will be lucky if we can survive this Bjorn, now just be quiet and stay on one knee."

Hiccup gestured to his personal guard. "Nobu can you please bring our injured friend to the healer?"

"Yes, my King!" Nobu answered, giving two Valkyrie guards a sign to drag the wounded man out of the hall.

"Chief Skuldron, please accept my apologies regarding my wife's rash decision." Hiccup told the Chief while Astrid moved to stand next to him, folding her arms. "Though, I do hope you understand why her actions were warranted."

Skuldron dipped his head. "Of course, my King. I also express my apologies for that man's behavior. I would not expect you to tolerate such an act."

"Good. I also wish to inform you that we will be holding a national assembly. I realize this is short notice, but the Terrible Terror I had sent to you arrived after you had left." The King said. He turned to whisper something in his wife's ear that seemed to convince her to calm down. Her gaze was no longer so fierce.

"My people and I are honored, my King. We will certainly attend the assembly. When does it start?" The Chief asked the king while he and his son got up from their kneeling position, prompting the rest of the men to do the same.

"Excellent. Your presence there will be good. Next week all the chiefs and governors will attend. Unfortunately, I must excuse myself. You will likely see less of me now but if you want something, you can always talk to Lord Snotlout." Hiccup said while giving a nod to the Lord in question.

Fat chance! Skuldron thought to himself, shuddering at the thought to spend more time with the Lord.

"Then excuse me as well. I must inform my people that we are staying longer than was planned." Skuldron added.

"No problem, Chief Skuldron. Also if you want, you can go to the Terror Mail Headquarters. From there you can send a message back to your people. We don't want them to worry, do we?" The High King said with a grin while the small party bowed and left the throne room.  
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Hiccup cast a lingering gaze after the group before turning to a very stiff Snotlout. "Now Snotlout, what did you want to tell me?" The King asked.

"Ah, right. We freed some thralls on the way here." Snotlout told Hiccup and Astrid calmly while standing before the King and Queen's throne.

"Thralls? What Thralls?" Hiccup and Astrid screamed in unison, startling all the guards in the room.

"Where? How? When?" Hiccup continued in an infuriated voice.

"Whoa, easy there. One question at the time." Snotlout said while giving his friend an assuring look that nothing significant happened to the captured girls. "We spotted a ship on the way here about a day into our journey. We attacked them and searched the ship and found about twenty girls shackled in the hold. So we took them with us." Snotlout explained with a bit of pride in his voice.

"Snotlout send the girls to the Valkyrie order, we will care for them." Astrid said, calling her personal guard. "Rin, can you make the preparations for the new girls' food, clothing and a place to sleep. I will come to see them later."

"Yes, my Queen!" Rin saluted and started dutifully for the doors.

"So what happened to the ship's crew?"

"Just the usual." Snotlout shrugged. "We killed them and threw their bodies into the sea to be eaten by the Scauldrons." Snotlout had a sinister glint in his eyes.

"Great to hear, my friend, did you get any info on them?" Hiccup asked in deep thought, not noticing his wife's piercing glare.

Snotlout scratched his neck. "They were a small pirate group without any connections to any chief or governor. We sent a terrible terror to find their base, but to no avail."

"Thanks, Snotlout, you can go back to your sons now. Oh yeah, one last thing, how would you and your boys like to dine with us this evening? It's been like what, a year?" Hiccup asked with a chuckle and standing up from his throne.

"Sure, we'd love to. But who's cooking? Please tell me it isn't Astrid." Snotlout joked while looking at the Queen. Some of the Valkyrie guards began to chuckle at the comment. Everyone in the room knew firsthand just how awful Astrid's cooking skills are. Not even Toothless would try it.

Astrid huffed loudly, pouting. "Very funny girls, my food is great don't you guys remember last Snoggletog?"

"The only thing we remember is being sick the next day!" One guard replied, doubling over with laughter.

"That's just mean!" Hiccup commented, but couldn't manage suppress a smile that got him a fierce glare from the woman next to him.

Most people would be surprised by the casualty of the conversation between the couple and the girls in the throne room. But for Snotlout, this was normal. For Astrid and Hiccup, the girls of the Valkyrie order where their own blood and flesh, especially the ones in that very room. They had been with them from the very beginning, and Astrid and Hiccup had loved and raised the girls as their own daughters.

Astrid cleared her throat, garnering the attention of everyone. "Now, girls I have a great surprise for you... I will be joining the training at noon!" At hearing this, all the girls stopped laughing and they eyed Astrid carefully, wondering it they had heard correctly. "When I'm done with you all, it will feel as if you had all fought a thousand Beserkers. Your last training was a piece of cake in comparison to what I have planned for you." Astrid said while laughing at the horrified expressions of the girls that were standing in the room.

"My lady, don't be too hard on them." Hiccup said while trying to stifle his laugh.

End of chapter two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> End of chapter two.  
> A/N: Thanks for reading my friends I hope you liked the new chapter it was great to write, but I have feeling that I am going to slow what do you think? The next chapter will be in a week or two. I hope you have a great day, and again, I appreciate all the feedback I can get.


	3. Chapter 3 The dinner at the Haddock's

First I want to thank closetnightmares for helping me rewrite the chapters to make a much better story. Check their stories if you can and want.  
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"Son, we need to talk about the upcoming assembly." Chief Skuldron told his son, who was sulking in the corner for one reason or another.

"What is it now, Dad? Are you going to embarrass us even more?" The boy retorted with a look of disgust written all over his face.

"Don't even start, Bjorn! How many times must I say we have to show respect to the king? All of this isn't as simple as you think." Skuldron said with a heavy sigh. The Chief rubbed his temples and murmured something that sounded like a prayer, though Bjorn couldn't have been sure.

Skuldron looked up suddenly, looking stiffly to his son. "As you have heard from the king, there will be a national assembly in the coming week. This means that all the chiefs and governors will attend the meeting and the feast together after the assembly. I want you on your best behavior and don't you even dare to start a quarrel with the Thorston children." The Chief's tone was stiff, leaving no room for discussion. He took a seat in a nearby chair with a huff.

Bjorn rolled his eyes. "Psh why? The Thorston children are a menace like their father and aunt."

"Everyone knows that son," Skuldron answered, his patience quickly thinning. "But you know that Eric Thorston will one day take the seat as governor of the southeast district. You must have him as a friend, not as an enemy."

"Pfff, we will see about that." Bjorn uttered as he stood up and went to the door.

"Bjorn!" Skuldron snapped, slamming a fist into the wall. "This is treason, if someone hears you—even I won't be able save you. No one in our tribe would be spared—Lord Snotlout will make sure of it."

Bjorn just ignored him and slammed the door shut, leaving his father alone in complete silence.

Skuldron sighed after his son, listening woefully to the receding stomping of the boy's feet. Turning his head to the ceiling, he took a deep breath.

"Oh honey, what can I do to help our son? He's still so young...so, so young." His voice cracked. "Please...just give me a sign." But nothing happened and Skuldron dropped his head into waiting hands. "I miss you, Helena."

After the war, Hiccup and Astrid knew that the empire was too big to be governed by only herself and Hiccup. The empire had become massive with hundreds of chiefs that wanted the best thing for their people and only their people. It was not long before in fighting started between the many groups. So Hiccup made a new system he called the Governor Regulation Program. It was a simple plan: Divide the empire into smaller parts and appoint loyal people at the positions. So who better to ask than their childhood friends.

Clan Jorgenson would rule the northeast of the empire. After a while, under the lead of Lord Snotlout, they became the main contributor to the army, and made Dragon's Edge the biggest fortress island in the entire archipelago.

Clan Thorston would rule the southeast provinces. The southeast held the most populated regions of the whole empire, but not because of there are a lot of people there, but because of the boars. Even when the twins got older, their love of boar pits grew with them. Though, now most of the boars had escaped and were living wild in the southeast. The entire area was essentially one gigantic boar pit.

Clan Ingerman was slated to rule the western province, which is the major source of economic power in the empire. Everything a person would ever want could be found there: books, jewelry, even weapons made from Gronckle steel. They were just a big market.

And last, Clan Hofferson rules the northwestern part of the empire. It is by far the largest chunk of the empire that was placed under single clan rule. The lands there are the safest and the most fertile of the whole empire. There was some opposition from several chiefs to give only one family so much power, but Hiccup eventually convinced them to drop the matter.

That very system of simple delegation of regions to clans had made it possible for greater Berk to survive the last 15 years in peace and prosperity.  
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Oh no, I'm really late! Mom and Sis are gonna kill me for this! Thought the young girl that was running through her home and gathering her equipment in a flurry to go join the training exercise.

"Amber come here, we're leaving!" The girl shouted to the terrible terror that was still sleeping on the floor of her room. The sound of her human woke her up, and the dragon quickly darted to the girl in question.

"Don't be scared Amber, you know I would never leave you alone." The girl said while giving the red and golden terrible terror a hug. Soon after, she left the house while putting the dragon in her bag.

"Princess Ari! Don't run, we aren't as quick as you in our full set of armor!" Yelled the guard that was trying to keep up with her, but was so far only failing at it.

Ari sighed as she looked behind her, suddenly forgetting to watch where she was going. That Valkyrie guard is so whiny... why do I even need a guard I know where I'm goi—

"Ouch!" Ari exclaimed as she ran headfirst into something. She rubbed her head and looked down to see a boy laying on the ground clutching his own head. He looked to be only a few years older than Ari.

"That really hurt, stupid! Watch where you're going!" The boy exclaimed with tears in his eyes.

Ari was a bit stunned by the boy's outburst, but she heard a loud yell from behind her that shocked her even more.

"What did you just say to the Princess?" Ari's guard yelled angrily at the boy as she ran up. The boy on the ground went pale as he looked up in horror to see a Valkyrie guard standing beside the girl with her sword drawn.

"Wait, calm down. He didn't mean it." Ari reached out to push away the blade from the boy. She looked down at him questioningly. "Or did you?"

"N-No, I'm really sorry—it was my fault." The boy said, obviously flustered, and picked himself up from the ground.

"Oh, right! The training! I've gotta go! Hey, wait!" Ari exclaimed, stopping a short distance from the boy. She ran back to him with a wide smile. "Why don't you come too!" The girl exclaimed as the boy was still dusting himself off.

"What do you me-" Before he could finish, the girl had taken hold of his wrist and was dragging him through the town as they were being pursued by two struggling Valkyrie guards.

"Wait! Where are you taking me?" The boy asked above the pounding of their feet on the pathway.

"To the east district!" The girl yelled back to him with a wide grin on her face, all the while dodging the people walking past the two of them.

"Stop I can't go there! Lord Snotlout will kill me if he finds me there!" The boy shouted while trying to get away from the girl, but she was one of the strongest girls he has ever met in his life.

"Don't worry, you're with me! And I'm the princess! Just relax!" The girl said with a big smile to the boy. "By the way, my name's Ari!"

"I-I'm Bjorn." The boy replied, suddenly beginning to worry if this was a mistake.

Ari merely smiled at him and quickened their pace.

"Princess Ari! Please wait for us, you're running too fast!" The guard shouted to the two children that were still running at full speed to their destination, leaving the two guards in the dust.  
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"Ari Valka Haddock, you are very very late!" Astrid stated in an angry voice as she folded her arms.

"Sorry mom, I was coming—I really was—but I ran into this guy on the way." Ari explained hurriedly, though she didn't quite meet Astrid's gaze. All the while the boy was staring in bewilderment at the girl.

Astrid knew that Ari was lying just like her father. It was unfortunately one of the worse things Ari could have inherited from Hiccup. And it absolutely drove Astrid up the walls. But there was really nothing she could do about it except sigh and accept it all. With a much deserved sigh, she looked over to the boy next to her daughter that was still looking at Ari in shock and anger.

"Well, well, Bjorn. I never thought you would join us here. I hope my daughter hasn't caused too much trouble for you." Astrid shot a piercing glare at Ari, who flushed red and looked apologetically over at Bjorn.

"N-No, it's no problem at all." Bjorn replied, staring pointedly at the ground.

Astrid smiled. "Then I welcome the both of you to the training of the Valkyrie order. I hope you're feeling up to some training because I am going to whip your asses till you're crying for your mommy!" Astrid finished with a slightly sadistic grin.

Bjorn marveled at the difference between the queen he saw earlier in the throne room and now. She felt more like an average person that a queen, and had he not met her earlier, he likely wouldn't have thought her to be a queen. He found the prospect of that to be rather intriguing.

"So what are you guys waiting for! A written invitation? Go on then, start running!" Astrid gestured to the group of Valkyrie doing laps around the nearby field.

Ari took off immediately at full speed, blending perfectly with the rest of the girls and even breaking ahead of the group within a few moments.

"Come on Bjorn, start running. You don't want to be outdone by a bunch of girls, do you?" Astrid said challengingly to the thirteen-year-old.

After hearing that, Bjorn felt his heart swell with pride and he started to run if his life and honor depended on it. Astrid watched the boy make the first lap while she was joined by her eldest daughter.

"If he keeps that up, he won't last till six." Rune chuckled, though she seemed mildly impressed.

"You know how it goes, male pride and all-your uncle has lots of it." Astrid laughed while going to supervise some girls on the sideline that were practicing their skills with axes.

Rune stayed for a minute just looking at her little sister running laps like a mad man. I hope she never grows up Rune thought with a smile as she went back to look after some recruits.  
\-------------------------------------------------

A couple of hours later.

Astrid stood in front of the new recruits that had been brought to the Valkyrie order by Snotlout. Their weekly training had just ended.

Bracing herself, Astrid tried to start easy.. "So, girls, I must ask you some hard questions now." She knelt in front of the group of sitting girls, scanning their confused faces carefully. With a sigh, she continued with, "Do of you still have other family members? If you do, please put your hand in the air."

Astrid knew it was a stupid thing to ask, there would surely be no one. The raiders that Snotlout and his men had killed were likely returning from plundering a small village. They had taken all the young girls prisoners and just killed the rest or worse. Astrid grimaced at imagining the fate that could have befallen the other villagers.

Sadly, not one girl had raised a hand. Astrid's heart nearly broke at the sight of the youngest girls that were sniffling but still trying to look strong before her. "Hey, don't cry. Everything will be alright now. We will care for you." Astrid said to the littlest girls while mentioning to the two-hundred other girls behind her that were smiling and laughing with each other.

At that moment the youngest girl of the group began crying. She couldn't possibly be older than 5 years old, Astrid thought as she reached forward to hug the little girl as tight as she possibly could. "Don't be scared. You're safe here with us." The queen explained while slowly stroking the small girl's hair. "If you guys want, you can stay with us. Or the king and I will find you a new family, and from there you can decide what you want to do." Astrid told the girls with a warm smile.

From those twenty girls, not one wanted to leave and go live somewhere else. This wasthe secret as to why the Valkyrie order was so loyal to Astrid and Hiccup. They gave them a newchance-a new life after they had lost everything they ever cared about. And, as a result, they had become a new family.  
\-------------------------------------------------

"Leif, we're going now! See you in a bit!" Snotlout called to his son. Leif had taken ill earlier, presumably from a bad meal, and he had ordered Leif to bed.

"Yeah, Dad." Leif called back in a weak voice. "See you later."

Snotlout nodded to Daine and they both left the house, starting down the road toward the Haddock house.

"So how are things going between you and Rune? All's good in paradise?" Snotlout asked, giving his son a suggesting nudge.

"I-It's going well. I mean, I definitely can't complain." Daine told his dad, slightly embarrassed to talk about his relationship.

"So can I ask Hiccup for a marriage contract now, or?" Snotlout questioned with a raised eyebrow and a smirk.

"Dad are you kidding? Rune would kill me!" His son exclaimed with a worried look on his face.

"Hahaha, you are just like Hiccup! He was scared shitless to ask Astrid to marry him. And you know what she did when Hiccup asked her? She punched him in the gut and then asked why he had waited so long to ask." Snotlout recounted with a huge grin, thinking back on the simpler times—the times when his mind wasn't fogged over with worries and his nights weren't plagued with envisioned horrors. At times he wished dearly to return to those days when the world felt small and safe.

"Dad, it's Rune. You know how she is. She's a strong and independent woman. She can't just be tied down like that." Daine explained with a laugh as he came to a stop at the entrance to the Haddock property.

"We will talk about this later son." Snotlout turned to the woman in front of the door who was eyeing them flatly. "Evening, Rin. Hiccup and Astrid have invited us for dinner."

"Yeah, I heard about it." She said blandly, giving a sign to open the doors for the Lord and his son.

Snotlout could never read Rin. She had always been a strange woman always quietly looking for any danger, she was quite nearly a bloodhound. The first thing that any person would notice about her is her strange hair. One part black, the other part blonde and as last part white. Some would think this combination would be horrible, but it certainly had its charm. It made her mysteriously alluring in a strange way.

"Thanks Rin, see you in a bit!" Snotlout yelled back while he and his son passed through the massive doors.

After you pass the doors you would not believe what lies hidden there: A small home in the middle of a garden sounded by massive walls on the sides, the home was no bigger than two stories high. Here lived Hiccup and Astrid as normal people away from all the ruling and problems of the empire.

"Hurry Daine, or else we will be late! And I'd rather not be sent to Valhalla by Astrid for being late."  
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"Daine, you're here!" Rune exclaimed, running to her boyfriend and giving him a kiss.

"Hi, Babe." Daine replied with a grin, wrapping his arms securely around her.

"Why didn't you tell me you were on Berk? I missed you." Rune uttered in a halfhearted angry voice while hugging him back.

"Sorry Rune, I was busy with meetings and all. Can you forgive me?" Daine pleaded with puppy dog eyes.

That only got him an affectionate punch in the shoulder from his girlfriend.

Meanwhile, her mother and father were speaking with Snotlout in the main room.

"So, where's Leif?" Astrid asked while looking around the room for the other boy that was nowhere to be seen.

Snotlout sighed. "He's sick. Sorry about that, Astrid."

"Ah, it's no problem! Now we'll have even more food than we'll need. Should we send a healer to him?" Astrid asked, sounding concerned.

"Hahaha, don't worry Astrid he is a big boy." Snotlout told her, punctuating his words with a chuckle. "So what are we eating? Lamb, boar, chicken?"

"Its stew Uncle Snotlout! Me and Daddy made it together." Ari explained to him while taking a seat at the table in anticipation for dinner being served.

"You have no idea how happy I am that you made it and not your Mommy." Snotlout told his niece, who grinned at the compliment.

Astrid came in with a wry laugh. "Very funny Snotlout, do you want my special Snoggletog eggnog?" She gave a fierce look in the direction of the bulky man that was siting in the chair. Just the mention of her special Snoggletog recipe made Hiccup turned a little green.

After dinner, Astrid and Hiccup needed to talk about some business with Snotlout, so Rune and Daine took Ari out to play with Toothless and Stormfly who were both in the Dragon Caverns for alpha and beta business.

"So Snotlout, how is your wife? I hope she is well?" Astrid asked the man that was sitting on the couch and trying to relax.

"Honestly, she could be better. I wish she could come with us, but since she's already four months pregnant, she's staying away from flying at the moment."

"Why didn't you tell us sooner? Congratulations Snotlout! Astrid, we'll need to send a gift to her!" Hiccup exclaimed while thinking about the options for a present.

Snotlout waved a noncommittal hand at his friend. "Oh, don't worry about that Hiccup. You can give her a present the next time we're here. So what did you want to talk about?"

"Ah yes," Hiccup started, his tone worried. "On the matter of the national assembly, there will be some emissary from the mainland. They will have come to speak about an alliance and ask for trading rights. I will need your support for the meeting with the other chiefs and we will need to show our might to the emissary."

Snotlout shrugged. "Is that all? Don't worry Hiccup, I'll call in some troops from Dragons Edge. Will a thousand soldiers be enough?" Snotlout said while standing up and preparing to leave the small living room, his features tense.

"Yeah, and if we combine the garrison with the order we will number over two-thousand troops plus the dragons. That should send a strong message to the mainland. But please, stay a bit longer, my friend, it's been so long since we've been able to sit like this." Hiccup continued while trying to lead the lord back to the fire in the living room.

"Sorry Hiccup, but I need to get back home to my wife. She wasn't in a particularly good mood when I left..." Snotlout explained with a small wince. He waved goodbye to Astrid and left the home to head for the Dragon Caverns in order to fetch his son.

"See babe, that was not too bad." Astrid said while standing behind Hiccup and massaging his shoulders.

"Nah, I wasn't worried about what Snotlout was going to say, I trust him with my life. I needed to talk to Daine about Rune." Hiccup told his wife while turning around and reaching up to caress her cheek. "Did you know that you're beautiful, my lady?" Hiccup asked and gave his wife a soft kiss.

End of chapter 3


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First I want to thank closetnightmares for helping me rewrite the chapters to make a much better story. Check their stories if you can and want. If you already read the last 3 chapters go back and do it again. trust me on that it is a lot better now. ^^ I hope you like it.
> 
> Till next time!

First I want to thank closetnightmares for helping me rewrite the chapters to make a much better story. Check their stories if you can and want. If you already read the last 3 chapters go back and do it again. trust me on that it is a lot better now. ^^ I hope you like it.

Till next time!  
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It had been a long week for Hiccup and his wife. He was exhausted—between ruling greater Berk, making preparations for the national assembly, and taking care of the arriving chiefs and heirs, it was a lot to handle even for the King.

Astrid always helped where she could, but for most of the things that needed to be done Hiccup was needed to be there to approve of it all. During the last week, all the chiefs from within the empire had arrived at Berk to attend the meeting. It was getting a bit crowded in the city about two-hundred fifty chiefs had come from all parts of the empire, and all of them had brought their family members and guards, too. But now, after a really long week, the national assembly was starting or to be conducted in an hour or two.

"Hiccup? You ready, babe?" Astrid asked her husband with a concerned look while placing her hand on his shoulder and giving it a reassuring squeeze. Hiccup looked tired, and at times Astrid felt that he was carrying a whole era on his small shoulders.

Hiccup sighed as he was brought out of his stupor. "Yeah. Yeah, I am. Can you get me my sword and cape?" He turned to give Astrid a peck on the cheek. "Are the Valkyrie guards ready? We really need to give a big impression at the assembly to solidify our standing with the other chiefs." Hiccup inquired, worry lacing his tone.

Astrid came back from the closet, holding the ceremonial dark red cape that bore the emblem of the empire in elegant embroidery. She motioned for Hiccup to stand up, which he slowly did, and she draped the cape onto his shoulders.

"Astrid what about the—"

The Queen put a finger to his lips quickly to silence him. "Shh, Hiccup. Quit worrying so much." She removed the finger. "Everything's ready. I briefed the Valkyrie order yesterday and they're all prepared. The captains will take their dragons in order to watch over the proceedings and also to keep tabs on the air traffic. Each and every one of them has been told exactly what to do in the event of any trouble."

Hiccup heaved a great sigh, as it was as if a huge weight had suddenly been lifted from his shoulders. He managed his first real smile all week. "Thank you, Astrid. I knew I could count on you."

"I'm the Queen of this empire, dragon boy. I'm just as capable as you." Astrid tugged his cape playfully as she walked behind him to go fetch the sword from their personal armory.

"Ooh, scary." Hiccup threw his hands up in mock apprehension.

Astrid whirled with a grin and before Hiccup could even blink, he found himself standing at sword-point at the hands of his wife. Hiccup, wide-eyed, was completely stunned.

"And don't you forget it." Astrid added as she passed the sword to her husband.

Hiccup chuckled and took hold of the sword. "So how do I look, my lady?" he asked, putting special emphasis on "my lady."

"Pfft! Like a doll!" Astrid giggled and skipped over to her husband's side, nudging him playfully. Hiccup turned to look at her, his eyes shining, and for a moment, it felt like the old days. Back when nothing seemed to matter outside of their own little lives.

Astrid leaned in to give Hiccup a kiss, but a knock on the door interrupted her.

Rin opened the door and dipped her head respectfully. "My King and Queen, we need to go to the great hall. The meeting is starting soon and it will take a while to arrive with all of the guards following us," she said while placing here long ax on her left shoulder pads and leaving the small bedroom to join the other Valkyrie guard that were waiting outside the castle gate.

"Ready my lady?" Hiccup asked with an unsure smile, holding out a hand to her.

"As ready as I'll ever be." Astrid answered her husband with a confident smile that made her ten times more beautiful as he took the offered hand. "Now come on, babe. Man up! We're going to crack some skulls!" Astrid said excitedly as she dragged her lover out of the house and to their dragons.

She approached the night fury, who immediately ran to her, crooning. Astrid laughed and scratched his chin affectionately. "Toothless be good for my husband, okay?" The black dragon made a guttural sound that Astrid took as an approval.

Stormfly came closer to flank Astrid and bent down to allow her to mount. "Hey, girl. You ready for this?" She asked her dragon softly. Stormfly gave a small squawk and began to squirm.

Astrid turned to the small army behind them, all of whom immediately saluted. She yelled, "Everyone, move out!" And the group began to head for the meeting.  
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A while later...

"Long live king Hiccup!" A man yelled.

"May he rule till Ragnarok comes!" A woman cheered.

"King Hiccup! King Hiccup over here!" A group of children exclaimed.

"Look, it's queen Astrid! She looks so beautiful!" An old woman called with a wave at the procession.

From all directions came the cheers and shouts from the citizens who had lined the street down, which the King and his group were proceeding. Two-hundred Valkyrie guards marched protectively around and behind Berk's royalty and multiple dragon riders were surveying the scene from the sky.

"You like the attention, don't you bud." Hiccup murmured to his dragon while giving him a couple pats on the head. Toothless gave a purr in bliss.

"Hahaha, he looks so content!" Astrid said while laughing at the happy lizard. Toothless now had his tongue hanging out the side of his mouth and it almost appeared that he was smiling.

"Don't make Toothless mad, Astrid. He'll eat you if you do, you know." Hiccup replied half-seriously while Toothless rolled his eyes at the silly things his human was saying to his mate.

"Yeah, yeah, and if I don't watch out, next thing I know, you'll be saying that Snotlout is good at picking up the ladies." Astrid said in a mocking tone. This made the Valkyrie guards snort. "See? Even the girls don't believe you."

"My lady, you hurt me!" Hiccup said in a falsely sarcastic voice while holding his chest.

"Oh Thor, don't be such a drama queen Hiccup." Astrid rolled her eyes at her husband.

Suddenly Toothless' eyes narrowed and his head began to twitch. He snorted and began to growl, every muscle tensing in preparation to fight some unseen enemy.

"Whoa, Toothless. Hey. What is it?" Hiccup asked his dragon while trying to calm him down.

Something came whizzing in and Hiccup heard a splat. He looked over next to him and saw a tomato pierced by a dragon spine from Stormfly. The big crowd that had been enthusiastically watching the parade was completely in silence now.

A voice rose above the silence.

"Hey! You traitor!" An old man somewhere off to the side shouted at the group. "Fucking disgusting you lot are! Damned dragon lover! I hope you die!"

Hiccup sighed as he dismounted Toothless, much to the irritation of his dragon. "Not this again…."

The King broke through the crowd and reached the guards who had pinned the old man down with their axes.

"Release him!" Hiccup said in a commanding voice.

"You're a traitor! Just wait till I inform Stoick of this!" Mildew said while trying to spit on him but missed horribly.

"Mildew, relax. You know that the war is long over. You're getting old, my friend. It's time for you to go back home." Hiccup said with a forced smile.

But then Mildew noticed Toothless, who was crouched behind the King and watching the offensive old man with those devil eyes. Mildew gave a fearful yelp and nearly backed away into the wall of the small bakery shop behind him.

Hiccup stood up with a sigh and summoned a healer to take care of the frail old man that was still trembling in fear against the wall.

Everyone knew Mildew. He was a grumpy old man who lived far within the forest of Berk. He had been fine until his sheep, Fungus, died of old age. Since then, it had gone from bad to worse as he started to forget a lot of things, mostly that Vikings and Dragons lived in peace in the empire. In more recent times, he seemed to have also forgotten that Hiccup was the leader of a whole empire. So every time Hiccup got out, and Mildew saw him, he would call him a traitor and a dragon lover. But the insults of today were by far the worst and most outspoken yet.

The healer finally arrived and came to Hiccup for orders. "You called me, my King?"

"Can you please look after Mildew and get him back to his home safely so he can rest for the day?" Hiccup asked the healer politely with a small smile.

"Of course, my King. He will be taken care of." The healer bowed respectfully as Hiccup gave one more regretful look to Mildew before turning away and dragging his overprotective lizard with him.

Astrid was still looking at the old man with a hate that was so fierce, no human or dragon could survive it's wrath even if they tried.

"Are you ready to go on my lady?" Hiccup asked his wife while getting back on Toothless. She did not respond. "Astrid?" The Queen was still busy metaphorically piercing holes into the old man with her eyes.

Hiccup sighed and reached over to clasp her hand. "Astrid don't worry about it. You know that Mildew is sick."

"But Hiccup—" Astrid started as she turned toward him.

Hiccup cut her off with a raised voice. "I've already put it behind me so you should do the same."

But Astrid could only sigh, "Okay. Fine, but I still don't trust him."

"Don't worry my lady death is allergic to me." Hiccup said with a crooked smile and giving his wife a peck on the lips as the procession started to move once more.

"I wish that was true Hiccup, I really do." Astrid muttered under her breath while following after her husband.  
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Meanwhile, at the assembly...

Bjorn couldn't believe his eyes. There were hundreds of chieftains assembled in the great hall, and every single one had their heirs. The room has been set up in a way that all chiefs that were from a single province were seated together. Before the rows of chieftains sat the governor of that province and in the very front of the room there were two thrones for the queen and king of the empire. The room's ceiling was carved with a gold silver pattern that was detailing the events of the unification war between warring tribes.

"Dad, do you know all these people?" Bjorn asked his father while looking at the mass of people trying to find the correct seats for their group.

"Hahahaha, no, my boy! I know a lot of the chiefs from our province but from the rest only a few. The empire is too big to know everyone personally." The chief laughed. "Now come on, son, let's find our seats."

Bjorn nodded and started walking after his father. From what he knew, the national assembly had two objectives. The first one was to know the plans for action and desires of the King and Queen. The second was to give everyone in the empire a neutral meeting place in which to quickly form alliances or trade agreements with other chiefs from far lands. These agreements and alliances could be on paper or could be sealed with a more personal bond like a marriage contract.

Bjorn secretly knew why his father had brought him along in the first place. It was to practice his skills as the heir to the Misty Skull Tribe, but also so that he would be able to find a good bride with whom to sign a marriage pact. The idea didn't totally bother him since it was just another actuality that he would be forced to pursue someday, but he wasn't entirely ready to go talk to a bunch of girls that he didn't know with the intention of marrying one of them...

Suddenly, the massive doors burst open and two dragons shot into the room. They gave a synchronized roar and flew directly to the thrones, where they each took their respective places. On the left sat a black dragon with piercing green eyes that, to Bjorn, felt ice cold. He thought that if he stared too long, his soul would freeze and break. On the right, there was a blue and yellow deadly nadder looking at the humans in the room with eerie slitted eyes that had the power to pin a person to their chair.

After a second, the hall began to echo with the pounding of countless of feet. Bjorn stared as the first three Valkyrie guards entered, walking in a row and in complete unison. The first three girls held a flag: the crest of the Haddock family, the flag of Greater Berk and the flag of the Valkyrie order.

More of the order began to file in behind the three flag bearers. Bjorn tried counting but lost it when he got into the high forties.

At the end of the column, marched the king and queen who were flanked by their personal bodyguards. Chiefs, governors, and heirs alike all started to bow when Berk's royalty passed by.

Most of the chiefs didn't like that their two chosen bodyguards were from low birth. Many tried to convince Hiccup and Astrid to take one of their burly sons as a replacement, but the King and Queen always refused, saying that they couldn't have asked for better guards than Nobu and Rin.

After a moment, the King and Queen took their seats at the head of the meeting in their respective thrones. Hiccup sat on the left and Astrid sat, as his right hand and queen, to the right. The sounds of the city outside could even be heard amidst the silence among the many rulers of the archipelago. Bjorn was awestruck that so many Vikings could be so quiet for so long.

Hiccup cleared his throat. "I want to thank you, my dear chiefs and governors, for coming on a short notice to the capital. I only hope your voyage here was without any trouble and hardship." There was a bout of murmuring, however, no complaints were raised. "I'm sure you are all wondering why I have called this meeting, so I will waste no time in telling you. The times are changing again like they did fifteen years ago. Our parent and grandparents fought for this land till their dying breath against humans and dragons alike. No threat was too big for us." At hearing this Toothless made a sad gurgling sound and looked at his human with widened eyes. Hiccup smiled and gave his friend a scratch under his chin. The dragon purred contentedly at all the attention he was receiving from his human.

Hiccup turned back to the expectant group of people before him. "We, as a people, have come together and formed one of the greatest empires in the world, but now after eight years of peace, there are gathering dark clouds above us. I have recently received some reports from governor Fishlegs telling accounts of Christian missionaries entering his territories." At the mention of the missionaries, a lot of people from the western provinces started to nod in tense acknowledgment. Unease began to spread through the crowd by means of half-whispers and hushed murmurs.

"Dad, what are missionaries?" Bjorn asked in slight confusion. The word was foreign to him.

"Hush, Bjorn! Just listen to the King."

Hiccup raised a hand for silence. "I'm sure some of you are unfamiliar with this, so let me explain. They are holy men from the mainland that preach things in the name of their God."

Some of the chiefs started shouting. "That's false! Lies, I say! A bunch of damned lies!"

"They've been sent by Loki himself!" Another called.

Someone else yelled, "What a load of bullshitters!"

The hall erupted in a loud shouting match that quickly escalated. Fists were being thrown on tables angrily and hundreds of angry voices swirled together. Astrid, with a frustrated sigh, stood up from her throne and motioned to her dragon, who gave a loud shriek. Everything immediately became silent again and everyone took their seats once more.

"All of you listen up! Either you be quiet and listen to your King or else I will personally kick your ass out of this hall." Astrid snapped with a scowl as she retook her own seat.

"So where was I?" Hiccup asked himself. "Ah yes, I know a lot of you probably don't trust them, but as an empire, we are going to give them a chance like we gave the dragons a chance." The murmuring started up again, but this time, Hiccup did not choose to silence it. "I don't expect any you to change your ways, I only want us all to give them a warm welcome and please, in Thor's name, don't harm them." There were a few nods of agreement from the governors and chiefs. Hiccup continued, "This is also why I have invited them to come here to Berk." The hall erupted into a fury. People stood and pointed at the King and yelled their disagreements, but no one person was able to be heard above the masses. It was chaos.

This time, to settle everyone down again, Hiccup gave the order to his already irritated Night Fury. Toothless shot a plasma blast into the middle of the hall, and it exploded above everyone's head with a thundering howl.

Hiccup stood up, this time, prompting everyone to give him their full attention. "I want to make one thing absolutely to all of you. We will not bend to them, but we will not be hostile to them either. I do not want to hear any, and I mean any, accounts of ill-conduct between you and our guests."

A large man stood from his seat, his hands clasped before him. "My King, are you sure about this? We can't just change our beliefs for them. What shall we do if they become hostile? Or decide that it is better to invade us?" Multiple chiefs exclaimed their support for this man's ideas.

"Governor Fishlegs." Hiccup started, "Don't worry, we need not change our beliefs for them, but only be civil about it. They have a lot of grudges against us, since, in the past, some of you have raided their holy places. I think it is fair to hear them out and give them a warm welcome. But should they show any signs of attacking us, I hope you will all support me when will respond just as our fathers and forefathers did." Hiccup paused for effect. "We will declare war."

The hall erupted in boisterous cheering. Someone started an old Norse chant and soon the whole hall was singing together in remembrance of what had been termed Berk's Glory Days. Through the years, the portrayal of the many wars that Berk had fought had become slightly twisted and glossed over to offer a more glorious view of the past. Only those who had lived through those times truly understood what the reality was of war. The blood, the chaos, the dead, the husbands and children that never saw the light of dawn. But that still didn't take away from the thrill of having a few hundred people united in their cheers for success.

They all finally settled down to conduct the smaller bits of business, such as the technicalities regarding economics, housing, food supplies for the coming winter, taxes, the slave trade and go on. Bjorn almost nodded off a few times. It was boring in all the senses of the word.  
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After the meeting...

Bjorn and his dad finally stood up from their seats and started heading for the exit of the hall, but were stopped halfway by an old chief and his wife.

"So how is it going Skuldron did you already pay tribute to the king for this year?"The older chief asked with a smug grin on his face.

Bjorn scrutinized this man, quickly trying to size him up. All he knew was that this chief made him undoubtedly uncomfortable.

His dad flatly replied with, "Yes, I did, Chief Travis."

"Oh. What did you give him from your measly village this time? One sheep?" The chief said in a mocking tone while his wife chuckled at the crude insult.

"I'll have you know—" Skuldron stopped talking as he felt a hand clap down on his shoulder.

"Chief Travis of the Storm Caste! I haven't seen you in ages. And Chief Skuldron, what a nice surprise. What are you lot talking about?" Hiccup questioned with a sense of false innocence. "I do dearly hope it was about your tributes."

The old man and woman from the Storm Caste immediately got on one knee for the King and Skuldron tried to follow suit, but was stopped by the King with a small shake of his head.

"If I may ask, Chief Travis, what have you brought for me this time?" The king leaned down to question the old man with a vicious smile.

Bjorn watched the scene unfolding with a sense of unease. He wasn't quite sure yet how all of the chieftains felt about each other, but if the current situation meant anything at all, then he could safely assume that this Chief Travis was not well-liked.

The boy suddenly felt a tug on his sleeve. He looked over, expecting to see one of his tribe's guards and tried to come up with a suitable reason to tell them to get lost. But he was surprised to see that it was a girl who had come up to him. And he knew her, too.

"Princess Ari?" Bjorn exclaimed, his eyes wide.

Ari placed a finger to her lips. "Shh! Come with me. Trust me, you really don't want to stick around when Dad gets angry. It's never pretty." She grabbed his hand and started to drag him away from the scene.

In all honesty, Bjorn was thrilled to have a reason to leave. He couldn't stand when people insulted his tribe just because they came from a smaller island. When Bjorn had accompanied his father to a meeting on a nearby island once, he had gotten into a fight with the heir of the other tribe over whose clan was more powerful. It had taken months of apologizing to get his father to even agree to take him anywhere. Bjorn shook his head to banish the memories from his mind.

"So, where are we going?" he asked, running comfortably alongside Ari. The two of them swiftly moved in with a small group of Valkyrie guards that were now vacating the hall, blending in with the young women easily.

Ari leaned over to whisper in Bjorn's ear. "It's a secret. So you'll just have to follow me." She skipped forward a few steps as they exited the hall and went out into the bright sunlight, turning back at the last second to grin at him. "If you think you can handle such a secret, that is!" The girl took off skipping down the pathway.

"Hey! Wait up!" Bjorn chuckled and started jogging to catch up with her.

From his position at the head of the meeting, Toothless had seen his human's hatchling leaving the great hall in secret. And dragging a boy with her!

Toothless didn't like if there were unknown people with his little playmate, so he decided to follow them in secret.

No one can play with my little girl before talking to me! Toothless thought while slipping out the great hall and following stealthily after the giggling two children.

End of chapter 4


	5. The secret place

First I want to thank closetnightmares for helping me rewrite the chapters to make a much better story. Check their stories if you can and want.  
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Chapter 5

"Hey, Ari... why are we going to the forest? It's getting late and the sun's already going down..." Bjorn asked as he observed that the sun was rapidly dipping behind the mountains.

Ari also seemed to notice they would soon be losing the light of day, however, she didn't care. She proudly stood a bit taller. Bjorn was the only person that wasn't afraid to play with her just because she was the daughter of the High King.

For once in her life, she had a friend her own age to play with.

"Shh, Bjorn." Ari turned back to him with a smirk. "You'll see in a bit. I promise you won't be disappointed." She hopped up onto a fallen tree trunk, laughing lightly she ran along it with her arms outstretched. In all her life she had never felt so free.

"Are you trying to lead me into a trap? If you are I promise I'm not going to go down easy. They call me Boulder Crusher back home." Bjorn said while reaching a hand onto his hip to feel for his sword, hoping that he wouldn't have to use it but entertaining the possibility of betrayal nonetheless.

"Hahaha," Ari laughed as she jumped down from the tree trunk and motioning for Bjorn to follow her, which he reluctantly did. "The Boulder Crusher, huh? What a weird nickname. And no, I'm not leading you into a trap, silly! We're friends!" She skipped forward and pushed a branch out of the way to allow them to pass, but she let go of it too soon and it started to whip back around.

Friends? Are we really friends? Bjorn was caught up in his own thoughts while walking and failed to see the branch that was rapidly flying toward his face.

"Ah! Watch out for the—" Ari started, reaching out to stop him but she was too late.

Whack! The branch connected with Bjorn's cheek and knocked him clean off of his feet.

"...branch." Ari finished quietly with a sigh.

"Ouch! Why didn't you warn me, stupid!" The boy wailed with a curse and rubbed his face to ease the pain.

"Yikes. Sorry, Bjorn. My hand slipped. Are you okay?" Ari asked sincerely as she knelt down next to the boy, inspecting him for injuries.

"Yeah, I'm fine, it's just a scratch. I feel like I always get hurt when I'm with you..." Bjorn muttered while turning away to hide his red cheeks from the girl.

"Let me take a look, you big baby," she said and grabbed his wrist gently and pried it out into the light. Ari chuckled lightly as she ran her pale fingers along the cut. "Well I'll give you one thing. You're nearly as good as my dad at finding problems." Her bright green eyes shone with laughter and she clasped his hand tightly as if in apology.

Bjorn could not hide the blush from the tender gesture. It had been years since someone had worried about such a trivial matter like a small cut.

And why in Thor's name does she have such green eyes? Bjorn asked the gods, while his face was getting redder and redder from the contact.

"Come on we need to get going, if we stay out too long my mom will notice that we're gone and started to worry. And trust me when she starts to worry, she worries big time. Last time she sent the entire order to find me." Ari grimaced upon remembering the reprimanding she had received that day.

Ari reached a hand down to Bjorn and he took it gratefully. She pulled him easily to his feet.  
Bjorn began to dust himself off. "How long were you away to scare your mom to send an entire army out after you?"  
"Hmmm, let me think… around 4 hours, I think?" The girl said in an unsure tone. "Don't really remember all that well because I was really little. All I know is Mom was really scared because Dad got hurt. It was a really long time ago..." Her expression fell.

Bjorn sensed something lingering behind her tone and wanted to question it, but before he could, she seemed completely restored. Ari put on a wide smile and clapped a hand on his shoulder excitedly.

"Now enough talking about history. We've got places to be. Follow me and keep up," she said, taking off through the woods and leaving Bjorn to sprint helplessly after her.  
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"No, you're stupid!"

"I am stupid! Wait, what?"

"Hahaha, you're so stupid!"

"Hey, if I'm stupid, then you're stupid too! We're twins, butt elf."

Ugh, they are starting again for Thor's sake they're 35 years old, you'd think they' grow out of it. Astrid thought as she walked over to the Thorston twins and left her guards behind.

"Oh, hi, Astrid! How're the kids?" Ruffnut asked her friend while tackling her brother to the ground of the great hall.

"Good, they're good. As usual, Rune is still gawking at Daine." She sighed and threw a glance over at her daughter and her lover that where conversing happily over by the exit.

"Do I hear wedding bells?" Tuffnut asked from the ground while counting the chickens spinning around his head and singing a very off-tune wedding song.

"What are you saying, idiot, of course, there will be a wedding! What are you, stupid?" Ruffnut said while kicking her brother.

"Chicken?"

"Whoa, whoa, hold on you two!" Astrid exclaimed before the situation could escalate. She knew better than anyone that the twins were not scared to organize a wedding for Rune without consulting either the queen or the bride. "Dain still hasn't asked yet."

"Didn't he already ask Hiccup for a marriage contract?" The male twin asked the ground thinking it was Astrid. Astrid face palmed and decided to answer the question regardless of his confusion.

"No, he's scared that Hiccup will decline. Of course, it's a stupid thing to think. But he already talked to me about his plans. He wants to make a big surprise and is keeping it a secret from his dad. If his father knew he would make a ruckus and probably ruin the moment for them. You know how Snotlout can be, especially if it is about his children."

"Yeah, I remember when Asvard hit Leif and Snotlout nearly flipped the table when he saw. He was chasing them around for two hours." Ruffnut said while laughing and remembering her son's pranks on the Jorgenson kids.

"On that note where are the little rascals?" Astrid asked, but it was not a second later that she heard curses from the kitchens and two small boys running out, each wearing a mischievous grin. They were followed by a positively livid kitchen lady who shouted obscenities after them.

"Ugh, again?" Ruffnut mumbled and gave a look to her brother to go after her kids and teach them some respect. Tuffnut sighed and pushed himself off of the ground. He had decided from the moment the meeting had started that the floor was better to sit on than stand on and that everyone else was stupid to not realize that they were doing it wrong.

After a while, Ruffnut spoke up. "So how are you really, Astrid? You don't need to put a front up for me we're best friends."

Astrid snapped out her thoughts at the mentioning of her name.

"Uhm, sorry, what?"

"I asked if you're alright." The blonde woman said while placing a concerned hand on the queen's shoulder.

"Yeah a bit tired of the whole assembly and the preparing for it. You know the usual for the Queen of Greater Berk." Astrid laughed and gave her friend a small smile.

"How would I know what it's like to rule an empire? You're the queen! Or did I somehow marry Hiccup in my sleep?" Ruffnut said with a bewildered look on her face.

Astrid made a move to correct her before just shaking her head. "You know.. Ah, no, it's okay… uhm… just leave it at that."

Ruffnut merely tilted her head at Astrid, still utterly lost.

"Ast-" Hiccup started, but he was too late to warn his wife of the two little blonde boys that jumped onto her back and totally bowled her over. The group made a little pile on the floor. "Watch out…. "

"Hi, Aunt Astrid! Wait...are you okay? Why are you on the floor?" The left boy asked from his spot on Astrid's back. He was confused as to why his aunt would prefer the ground rather than staying standing.

"Of course she's okay, Aunt Astrid is the queen and is part of the Valkyrie order stupid." The other boy exclaimed in excitement as he stood up.

"Don't call me stupid!" The other twin yelled and jumped off of Astrid to assault his brother.  
Astrid groaned and pushed herself onto her knees.

"Okay, stop and apologize to your aunt, you little rascals." Ruffnut said in a commanding voice to her twin sons.  
Both boys froze from their wrestling and immediately righted themselves, their expressions soft.

"Sorry Aunt Astrid we didn't mean to!" The boys said in perfect unison and nearly melted a part of the queen's heart.

"How could I stay mad at such cute boys?" Astrid said with a big smile.

"We are not cute!" The first twin puffed out his bottom lip and began to pout.

"Maybe handsome, but definitely not cute." The second added with a definitive nod.

"Hahaha, that sounds familiar, doesn't it?" Hiccup asked from behind them. Everyone turned their attention to the high king, who held out a hand to his wife. "Need a hand my lady?" he asked softly.

Astrid chuckled and took his hand, allowing him to pull her back to her feet. Hiccup embraced her lovingly and pecked her cheek.

Their affections received multiple disgusted looks from the two small boys and Ruffnut. Astrid laughed at their cheekiness.

"Hi, King Hiccup." The little boy on the left said, his light brown eyes shining as he gave a small bow.

"Hi, Asvard. You know, you can call me Uncle or Hiccup. You are my nephew, after all." The King said while placing his head on his wife's shoulder, whispering something in her ear that made her laugh.

"UGH! Are they at it again?" Rune questioned as she walked up to the small group.

"You know how they are." Ruffnut said while giving a pitying smile to the young girl.

"I can count the times we saw you making out with Dain. On the couch or behind the corner or that one time at the door… " Hiccup said with a wink that made his daughter's face light up like a Snoggletog tree.

"Oh shut up, Dad!" Rune said, giving the two twin boys each a pat on the head.

Asvard tugged at Rune's sleeve, dragging her down to his level. "Rune can I ask you for a favor?"

"Of course! Ask away." Rune smiled at him.

"When I get older, can I join the Valkyrie order?" Asvard with puppy eyes as the rest of the adults began to giggle.  
Rune looked at him and got on one knee. "Asvard, you know the order only takes on girls."

"I know, but when I grow up I'm going to become a girl! You just wait and see!" The boy said with full confidence in the power to change his gender over the years.

Everyone laughed.

"Has anyone seen Ari? I want to play hide and seek with her." The other blond boy piped up suddenly.

"She was just here...wait. Where did she go?" Astrid said, taking a look around the big hall, but she could not spot the small redhead anywhere. "Hmm, that's strange. Should we send a guard to search for her?" Astrid turned worriedly to her husband, who, much to her displeasure, seemed totally at ease.

"Nah that's not necessary." Hiccup shook his head, a small smirk crossing his lips. "I've got the best man on the job or, should I say, dragon."  
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Meanwhile...

"Are we there yet? I'm getting kinda tired..." Bjorn called up to Ari, but she was not listening to him and still continuing on through the forest. Something cracked off to the right and Bjorn jumped, his eyes scanning the rapidly darkening forest for what had made the sound. "Uhm, Ari... do you feel like something might be watching us?" The boy asked while looking around him. He would wager a month of his allowance that he'd just seen that shadow over there move... He closed his eyes and willed it to be his imagination.

Snap!

Bjorn opened his eyes in a panic and looked back to that spot and found that the shadow...was gone?

"Ari! Did you see that? That shadow! I-It moved!" The boy exclaimed while picking up his pace to get closer to the redhead.

"Oh, come on, don't be such a scaredy-cat Bjorn. It's only a forest full of dragons what could possibly happen?" The girl replied, though she had picked her pace up as well and somehow in the darkness, their hands had become entwined. They broke into a clearing that was just above the cove and Bjorn had to shield his eyes against the sudden brightness.

It is one of the beautiful places that he had ever seen in his life. Bjorn never smiled much since his mother had dead, but now he could not take the stupid grin from his face. The green grass beneath a pastel sunset sky. This was a place that you would never forget for your entire life.

"It is beautiful, is it not"? The girl asked while looking at his smile. "My dad met his dragon, Toothless, here." She walked forward to the entrance into the cove.

"Is that your dad's shield?" The boy asked, gesturing to the shield that was blocking the entrance.

"Yeah, the thing's ancient. It's from when dragons were still hunted..." Ari said while squeezing herself through the small opening behind the shield and beckoning Bjorn to follow.

"I've got a bad feeling about this…" Bjorn muttered to himself while following reluctantly after the redhead.

"Welcome to my secret hideout!" The little girl said with a smile and flipped the top on her satchel to reveal her Terrible Terror, Amber.

"You've had a dragon with you the whole time?" The boy asked with wide eyes at the dragon that was now trying to climb up her arm and sit on her shoulder.

"Yeah, this is Amber." She said while giving the small dragon a pat on the head. "Amber, Bjorn. Bjorn, Amber."

"Uhm, Hi?" The boy said, slightly unsure of himself as talking to a dragon was a bit weird.

"Don't be shy just give him a scratch. " She said encouragingly.

Bjorn lifted a shaky finger and began to scream. "AAAAH!"

"Hey! Why are you screaming, stupid! It hurts my ears!" Ari said while her dragon squeaked in an angry tone.

"D-D-Dragon!" The boy stammered while pointing behind her, his eyes wide.

"What are you-" A mighty roar was released from behind Ari, shaking the ground beneath their feet. The princess whirled around, taking a few steps back.

Behind them stood a fully grown Changewing, and it didn't look happy to see them. It curled it's lips back to expose a row of sharp teeth and snarled at them, eyes narrowed dangerously.

Ari backed up until she stood in front of Bjorn, who was hardly able to breathe from the shock.

With another roar, the dragon shot into action and tried to blast them with its acid. But the dragon had underestimated its enemy. Berk's princess and also a trainee of the Valkyrie order was no ordinary foe.

"Bjorn, get down!" Ari commanded and pushed her friend to the ground along with her dragon, drawing her ax and shield to block the incoming acid. It took only a second for her weaponry to melt. She frowned and cast aside the useless pieces of wood and metal.

The Changewing eyed them carefully, it's snarls growing in intensity as it began to circle the two children and tiny dragon. Ari pulled them into a tight formation and continued to keep her face to the dragon.

"Ari, wh-what is that thing?" The boy said shakily as he quickly unsheathed his own sword from his scabbard and brandished it confidently before him. Amber squeaked quietly in fear from her new perch on his shoulders.

"That's a Changewing, Bjorn. Now just be quiet and don't make any sudden movements. Changewings are pack dragons so be on the look out for more of them. Oh, and they're quite invisible, too."

The redhead said tensely, not taking her gaze off the circling dragon for even a moment.

"Invisible? You've gotta be kidding me," Bjorn growled, "That thing is no dragon, it's a monster!"

The changewing seemed to tire of their conversation, so it pressed closer and fired another blast of acid toward them. The two children broke their formation as each rolled off to the side, effectively dodging the attack. But the dragon only became angrier.

Ari slowly took a submissive posture and held her weapon as far from her body as possible, her other hand outstretched in a gesture of peace. "Now calm down, big guy. We can talk this out can't we?"

The Changewing placed all of it's attention on the redhead, snorting loudly at her actions, though it made no move to attack. Bjorn warily watched the scene unfolding, knowing full well that such action on Ari's part could theoretically work, but he also knew that if either of them made one wrong move, it could be the end. He tightened his grip on his sword, steeling his mind in preparation for the worst. If it came to it, he would slay this dragon.

A moment passed in tense silence and the Changewing seemed to calm down, but it began to growl and Bjorn took a fateful step forward and lifted his sword. Before he could even register the snapping of the stick beneath his foot, he was abruptly tackled by Ari as another blast of acid hissed over their heads. Ari stood up and swung her ax in a clean, upright swoop above them. Her blow wounded the dragon in the eye and the ground around them was spattered with tiny droplets of red.

The changewing shrieked in pain and fired multiple blasts all around, a few nearly hitting the pair of children but they both managed to continue dodging. Bjorn held his sword securely in both hands and blocked a shot from the dragon's acid that was going to Ari. He looked at the livid beast before them with a look of disgust while throwing his melting sword away. He was panting hard at this point, and so was Ari as she came up to him but her eyes were still on the dragon.

"Sheeuuus, calm down already, I couldn't let you kill doofus here." She groaned and turned to see if Bjorn was still there. "Are you alright?" She asked with a worried glance toward the pool of acid that was just inches from his feet.

"Y-yeah, just a bit...shocked is all." He said, While unsheathing a short sword from his scabbard as Ari took a fighting stance beside him.

"Do you trust me?" Ari whispered.

"Um, yeah?" Bjorn replied, thinking it was stupid to ask at a time like this.

"Do you trust me?" Ari asked again with more meaning than the last time. She was asking him to trust her with his life.

"Yes, for Thor's sake I trust you, Ari!" He said in an angry whisper so as not to make the dragon angrier than it already was.

"Then do exactly as I do."

Bjorn heard a soft tinkling and looked at his feet to see Ari's weapon laying down on the ground. He opened his mouth to object until he noticed that she was now slowly approaching the angry dragon that was laying in the middle of the cove, it's chest heaving with pain.

"Ari? What in Thor's name are you doing? You'll be killed!" Bjorn hissed while moving a bit forward to keep her close to him.

Ari merely placed a finger to her lips and gave him a testy stare, commanding him to be silent.

She had nearly reached the dragon when she was suddenly surrounded by darkness and spinning through the air in a dark cocoon.

"Toothless?!" The girl exclaimed while the black dragon uncurled himself and shook the acid off from his scales.

"Toothless, no, calm down he's just scared!" the girl pleaded, but Toothless was not listening and only looking at the Changewing with slitted eyes. The only thing flowing in his veins was hate for this creature that had dared to threaten his friend's hatchling.

But the Changewing had never seen a Night Fury so it decided to attack the black dragon, which was a terrible mistake. Toothless took the brunt of the attack with his body and tackled the smaller dragon to the ground, locking his jaws around the Changewing's neck. The smaller dragon gave a choked roar and tried to push the black dragon off as streams of blood began to flow from the wound.

The Changewing was confused about what was happening and tried to bite the black dragon back, but he was still pinned to the ground. The dragon began to screech and desperately attempted to escape, but it was no use. Toothless began to charge his plasma blast.

Ari could only look away and hope that the smaller dragon hadn't suffered as the cove was illuminated in a purple glow. But not everything in this world could be pleasant, she thought as the pinned dragon gave one final scream before the blast and everything went quiet.  
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Like most of my characters, Toothless is not the Toothless we know. He is mostly the same as in the past, but he learned what war is and what death means. I want to portray my story as something realistic, so there will be harsh things in it. I hope you understand.


	6. Memories of the past

Good evening my dear readers! I want to thank you for reading my story and thank you for the people following, favoriting and reviewing the story

I just wanted to let you know that this chapter plays in the past during the war.

I hope you like it. And I want to thank closetnightmares for helping me rewrite the chapter.  
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White.

As far as Hiccup could see there stretched a white, endless landscape. Around him, snow was slowly falling from the sky and covering the ground in an eternal icy blanket. The only sound that could be heard was the footsteps of the king and the howling wind passing through the barren landscape.

In the distance, there was a dying willow tree perched atop a small hill and before it stood a lone red headed man. He seemed nothing more than a statue looking at the eternal landscape before him.

Hiccup started to walk further while following the small dirt path leading through the wasteland and ending at the top of the small hill where the man was standing. A cold wind rushed past Hiccup's face, making him shudder. He closed his eyes for a split second and took a deep breath, filling his lungs with the cold icy air and exhaling it out.

The king opened his eyes and as he did the landscape transformed into a graveyard. The once pearly white snow turned into a sea of red and gray with countless of dead bodies dotting the frozen scene.

"A chief protects his own." A voice said with an icy tone that made Hiccup's hair stand up.

"Why did you let us die, Chief?" another voice called.

"Why did you kill us Hiccup? Were we expendable?" a child's voice said in an eerie tone.

Hiccup shivered but continued walking.

These voices, they were blaming him for their deaths, blaming him for their broken dreams. Cursing him for their early departure from this world.

More snow started to fall covering the lanky figure with a thin layer of snow, but Hiccup continued through it, gritting his teeth against the barrage of words.

"We need our revenge Hiccup!"

"Where is your honor, High King?" A voice said with contempt in it.

"Hiccup, you can't just leave us in this place!" A woman's voice pleaded.

The voices fell to silence as the king arrived at the withering willow. Hiccup approached the man beneath it, taking a comfortable stance beside him. The king was no stranger to this situation.

"Hiccup, brother, you're back!" the man said in a cheery voice, but his eyes remained fixed on the snow falling slowly from the dark sky.

"Hi, Dagur, how are you?" The king asked the redheaded man, watching the gruesome scene before him as the perfect snow was stained red.

Dagur did not answer.

Hiccup sighed and tried again. "What do you want Dagur?"

"Hiccup, you hurt me! Did you not miss me? 'Cause I sure missed you! Every day for the last eternity in this place." Dagur said while smirking and sitting himself down in the cold snow.

"I can't say that I missed you, Dagur. Not after how it all ended." Hiccup said, bringing his hands up to rub at his freezing arms.

"Don't be like that, brother! We only want one thing and that's revenge!" Dagur yelled as the wind came back, bringing another wave of countless screams that all called for revenge. Dagur continued, "We all died to fuel your little war or should I say 'peace by unification'." Dagur spat the word peace out like it burned his whole mouth.

"You know there's no other way. Peace cannot be achieved by merely talking, Dagur. I tried to talk to you, I tried to talk to Viggo, I even tried to talk about peace to Drago but did it help? No. Only more bloodshed was the result. Where both parties lost and no one was a step closer to their objective! No more Dagur. This needs to end now and forever!" Hiccup said in a heated tone while turning his brother and placing a hand on his shoulder. "We can't keep going in circles we need to break the endless cycle."

"Hahahahaha, do you call this peace? Breaking the circle?" Dagur laughed maniacally and pointed to the masses of dead bodies littering the snowy landscape. "Do you think this will lead to peace Hiccup? Do you really?" The man said with a sad look.

"I am the king of Greater Berk now, Dagur. I'm proud of what we have done and will do in the future. I, as the king, will carry my sins and mistakes. I will lead our people to a new age of peace and prosperity or die trying to do it." Hiccup said, looking Dagur directly in the eyes, but the only thing he found was a cold lifeless stare. No emotions, no feelings, nothing.

"Say that to the dead, Hiccup. Tell that to the wives that lost their husbands, to the children that lost their mothers, to the fathers that lost their sons and daughters." Dagur said in a cold icy tone while blood started to trickle down from his neck revealing a cut that was getting bigger.

"Like I always say Dagur, I've made a lot of mistakes in my life, but killing you was not one of them the sins I will carry with pride." Hiccup whispered as the snow beneath their feet began to turn red.

"Hahaha, Brother you know that I love you, it's sad that our time has come to an end." Dagur said, smiling sadly. The flesh started to melt away from his bones, disappearing into the cold wind. You were a great brother Hiccup. I will never forget you."

"Blood brothers till the end." Hiccup said while closing his eyes, only to open them again two seconds later to see a skeleton lying against the willow tree. The wind was gone and so were the voices. An empty silence had taken hold of the strange expanse.

"See you next time Dagur, just like always." Hiccup whispered into the nothingness as everything faded to no more than a dark red blur.  
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"My lord, it's time to get up! It's nearing noon!" A Valkyrie guard exclaimed.

Hiccup groaned as he opened his eyes to a throbbing headache and a mug of water in front of him, courtesy of the guard. He gratefully downed the contents as it soothed the dryness of his throat like nothing else could.

"Where's Astrid?" Hiccup asked while rubbing his eyes, trying to get the sand out and scanning the war tent for the tall blonde woman that was normally there.

"She is preparing the Valkyries for the assault, my lord." The young woman said, taking a few paces back so that Hiccup could get out of his bed.

"Ugh, my head, I never should've agreed to have a drinking match with Snotlout. He's a bottomless pit when it comes to booze." Hiccup said rubbing his temples.

"Hahaha, don't be a wimp." A blonde woman entered the tent with a laugh and flooded the room with light, nearly blinding Hiccup. "If you can be a man in the evening you need to be a man in the morning."

"For Thor's sake, Astrid!" Hiccup yelled, bracing himself against the sudden light.

"My queen!" The Valkyrie guard said while going on one knee and bowing.

"At ease Clair! Go join the rest of your squad for now. Rin will give you your new orders for the day." Astrid said while holding the door flap open so that the girl could leave the tent.

"Yes, my queen! Long live the empire!" The girl exclaimed while placing a fist to her chest while standing up and taking her leave.

"How's your head? Everything still working up there or do you need a healer?" Astrid said jokingly while walking to her husband and giving him a small peck on the cheek.

"Never the better, my lady!" Hiccup said in a sarcastic tone. "Please never let me drink again. I mean it this time."

"You always say that till we start drinking again. Don't worry, I'll join in the drinking party next time. When I don't need to be completely sober to keep your ass out of trouble." Astrid laughed while going to the big table in the room and taking a piece of fruit from the bowl. She started looking at the maps on the table that showed the whole island in great detail.

"So any ideas how we are going to breach the walls?" Astrid asked while looking at another map detailing the city. They were nearly through the wall, but it would at least take until tomorrow and that was only if things were going great.

"Nah, not at the moment. How's the bombardment going?" Hiccup asked while standing up and starting to dress himself in some casual clothes.

"The walls are still holding us back. Tuffnut tried a sneak attack around two am but were spotted by a watch tower, he lost about five men while pulling back. And Snotlout was again asking to deploy some zippleback bombs and some dragons to drop them in the center of the city."

Hiccup could not hide his irritation seeing as how he was hearing this for what felt like the hundredth time in the one month long siege of this city. "Why would I use fucking bombs that could level and burn the whole fucking place to the ground? Is he so stupid that he can't see that we need to take Grund intact, it's a major trading city for Thor sake!" Hiccup exclaimed in frustration while sitting down in a chair near the table.

"Babe, relax I forbade the use of it. Don't worry about it, Snotlout just wants to end this and go back home to his wife and children. Like the rest of the army." Astrid said while going behind him and rubbing his shoulders.

"Ugh, I know Astrid I want to see Ari and Rune too, but still why can't he just be patient we nearly made a breach in the wall. After that, we can end this stupid war and go home in peace."

"I know babe, I know." She said while placing a peck on his hair and going to the corner of the war tent where Hiccup's armor was displayed. "Come we need you ready for the inspection of the camp."

"Yeah, yeah. You slave driver." Hiccup said with a grin while following his wife to the corner of the tent.

"How late is it even? I feel like I slept for an eternity." Hiccup asked while Astrid started to put the slick iron breastplate in place and fastening the back straps.

"Hmm, about eleven… Long past breakfast." The blonde woman said with a giggle while taking the black shoulder pads from the stand and wiping some dust out of the engraved runes.

A second later Nobu sprinted through the entrance of the war tent and got on one knee before them. "My king and queen the dragon scouts spotted a small detachment of ships approaching from the north. Lord Snotlout is asking for orders."

"What crest are they flying?" Hiccup asked. Astrid finished strapping the last piece of armor on him and Hiccup gave a thankful nod to his wife for her help.

"None at all, my lord. We are still looking if they are friend or foe." Nobu said.

"Just tell Snotlout that we are sending a squad of Valkyrie guards to see if they are hostile or not." Hiccup said, pinching his eyes.

"It will be done as you wish, I will inform Rin of the new orders." Nobu said while heading out of the tent and leaving the couple alone in a tense silence.

"Every day there's something new! Can we just have one peaceful day for Thor sake, it's not so hard." Hiccup exclaimed while walking to the exit with Astrid following close behind.

"You know how it goes babe just relax this campaign will be soon over and we can all go home and just relax as normal human beings."

Hiccup and Astrid exited the tent and were blasted by the cacophony of sounds around them. People talking, laughing, shouting, and in the distance were the sounds of catapults being fired against the city wall. The air was thick with the smell of blood and iron. A normal day in a siege camp.

"My king and queen." Two Valkyrie guards said while placing a fist to their chest. They had been keeping watch outside of Hiccup and Astrid's tent, not because any orders had been given, but because they just wished to do it.

"At ease girls! Had any problems? Do I need to kick someone's ass for you?" Astrid asked with a smile. There was a loud squeak off to the side and the group turned to see a blue and yellow Nadder sprinting over and nearly knocking nearby people over in her haste.

"Wow, Stormfly calm down!" Astrid said while holding her hands up to calm the happy dragon down as she rubbed happily against the queen.

"Hahaha, she only missed her human." Hiccup said, smiling. Stormfly now crouched excitedly before Astrid, her eyes wide and pleading. Since the siege, they rarely had any time for playful flying anymore.

"Speaking of dragons, where's mine?" Hiccup asked while looking around him and trying to spot the black mass anywhere.

"I saw him at the north side of the camp near the cliff with some other dragons." The left Valkyrie guard said while pointing north with her ax.

"Can I get a lift, my lady?" I am not feeling up to walk all the way to the north side of the camp.

"Of course, my charming prince." Astrid said with a mocking bow that made the two guards laugh. The queen turned to her dragon. "Are you ready to go flying Stormfly?" The blond asked while rubbing the dragon's back and swooping one leg over the dragon and placing herself in the saddle.

"So, you coming dragon boy?" She asked playfully, extending a hand down to Hiccup, who took it with a snort.

They took off quickly and hovered at a safe height, high enough to do surveillance, but low enough to not become a target.

Hiccup looked at the siege camp from above. It was massive, with nearly twenty thousand soldiers stationed within. It was majestic to look at the thousands of tents littered across the island. The outer perimeter had a palisade surrounding it to keep attacks at bay and not to have wild animals roaming the camp. And in the middle was the smaller Valkyrie camp where the king and queen's tent was. It was a bit more fortified with a ditch surrounding the palisade and a nearly finished watch tower. The Valkyrie order didn't want to take any risks.

The Island was split into several camps for the main army and some smaller ones for the auxiliary units.

A short distance away lay the city of Grund. It was a major stronghold in the region it was a fortress with thick walls protecting all sides of the city and was prepared for the long city was the last one that needed to fall before the empire had full control of the archipelago.

"Astrid, there!" Hiccup said while pointing at a black dragon laying in the sun near the cliff. "Can you go down?"

"Of course, babe." Astrid said while making a loop and diving down at neck breaking speed.

"Astrid! Not so fast!" Hiccup yelled over the howl of the wind and his stomach did a flip at how fast the ground was approaching. But Astrid stopped just before they crashed into the ground and made a beautiful landing.

"Why so scared Hiccup? You've done crazier things than I ever would imagine doing." Astrid said with a grin while hopping off of Stormfly.

"Yeah, but then I'm the one flying. You can't have a better rider than me." The king said with a sly grin while hopping off the Nadder and getting the attention of the black dragon that started to run to him at full speed.

"Hey! Buddy, wait! No! No, hey! Don't lick me." Hiccup exclaimed while the dragon tackled him and started to lick him all over, drenching him in dragon saliva.

"Thanks, you useless reptile! You know this doesn't wash out!" Hiccup wiped a hand across his sticky chest and scowled at both the stench and sliminess.

Astrid laughed and held out a hand for Hiccup to take.

Hiccup took it gratefully. "Thank you, my lady."

"Hahaha, any time dragon boy any time." Astrid said, wiping her hand off and walking to the edge of the cliff. She pointed out to the ocean, eyes wide. "Hiccup look the ships!"

Hiccup got to the ledge and saw there were three ships moving in from the horizon. They were still too far to identify, so he ran to get his spyglass from Toothless' saddle bag and came back to get a better look. Like Nobu had said, the incoming fleet was indeed not flying a crest but looked well armed.

At that moment, a couple of dragons passed overhead and began closing in on the ships. On the deck of the head ship, Hiccup spotted one of the crewmen banging a bell. The ships slowed to take firing positions as their weaponry was loaded. It appeared they were readying to take the approaching Valkyries out.

"So they were hostile. What a shame." Hiccup said, folding up his spyglass and getting onto Toothless to go join the fight.  
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"Men ready your crossbows, Hold your ground and wait for my signal to fire!" Captain Car shouted around the deck. "We need to protect this cargo if we want to save our city." The tall black haired man said as he drew his jagged blade and pointed it at the approaching dragons.

"Two nadders, one monstrous nightmare and two hideous zipplebacks. Fuck we are so dead." The captain thought and started to pray. "Almighty Odin, god of wisdom and war, please give us the strength to overcome this hurdle that you have presented us." Car whispered while kissing his amulet that was hanging around his neck.

Around him, his men were trembling in their boots. Most of them were just civilians that had been drafted into the army to do a supply run before the siege started, but because of bad weather and an unnatural storm they were delayed for a nearly a month. The crew was fearing that they only would find a ruined city with the empire's flag on the walls.

Now Car could see the riders that wore the characteristic white armor of the Valkyrie order. It glittered fantastically in the midday sun.

"Shit! Shoot!" Car shouted in a panic while swinging his sword down as a signal to his men. Countless arrows passed him and were heading in the direction of the dragons, but the men were no soldiers and so their target skills were still lacking. Most missed entirely and the rest were easy to dodge.

"Reload and bring the special arrows from below!" Car shouted to two crew members that were passing him. Overhead a monstrous nightmare passed him and spewed a fireball at the last ship, instantly blowing it to pieces. Screams erupted and the ship groaned as it capsized into the water. An eerie silence followed. Forty men in an instant had been sent to their watery grave all too soon.

The two men that had been sent to fetch the special arrows returned and people started to grab the new arrows as quick as they could and started to reload their crossbows.

Car turned to his second in command that was aiming at one of the riders. "Bor give me your cro-…" But before he could finish Bor was shot in the head by an arrow from one of the Valkyrie riders. His body crashed to the floor of the deck, blood beginning to pool around him. Car cursed as he wrenched the crossbow free of the dead man's hands and took aim at a nearby Nadder. He shot his arrow and hit it in the side, sending the dragon plummeting to the icy sea below and dragging the rider down with it. A second later the dragon splashed into the ocean, but a fellow dragon Valkyrie dragged them free and began carrying the injured dragon away to safety.

"Night Fury, get down!" One of the crewmen shouted, but in his panic, he did not notice the Nadder spike that was flying to him. The spike penetrated his leg and pinning him down to the ship's deck.

The only thing Car registered from the approaching Night Fury was a purple light that flashed in the sky and hit the second ship. It immediately burst into purple flames and Car could clearly hear the crew's screams for help.

Car was beginning to get desperate around him as his men were dying and being pulled into the ocean's depths. The fire was everywhere and his ship was making water. It was near ankle deep in some places. "You son of a bitch! Come fight me like a man you demon lover!" Car shouted to the dragons that were circling the ship and pinning his crew down. His calls for confrontation were met with nothing but more destruction.

"You cowards!" Car shouted, but a sharp pain struck his lower abdomen and sent him to his knees. Looking down, he saw a nadder spike protruding from his gut. He reached for his wound, but the pain made him dizzy. Car slumped down against the side of the ship and clenched his teeth, ignoring the screams of the people around him.

More and more blood seeped from his wound and turned the water around his ankles red. "Shit, this is it, isn't it?" Car asked himself while taking his hands away from his wound and taking his pendant in his hand tracing the small runes. His body started to convulse.

Tracing the runes with bloodstained shaky fingers, Car said the magic saying. "Vær forsigtig, far. Jeg elsker dig."

In the sky, through his blurry gaze, he could see a purple light take over the sky. Coming closer to him. In his delusional state, it seemed almost pretty.

Tears lined his eyes. "I am sorry Asa daddy will not come home this time." Car said, closing his eyes as the purple flame surrounded him.  
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The last ship was blown to pieces and was quickly starting to sink in the dark ocean below. From his position above the scene, Hiccup looked at the wreckage of the ship's dead bodies littering the ocean.

"Long live King Hiccup!" The Valkyries shouted from their dragons. "May he protect us till Ragnarok and beyond!"

"Hahaha, Thanks, girls I owe you one." The king said with a grin as he turned away from the scene of destruction before them. Astrid pulled Stormfly up next to Toothless and Astrid tried to catch Hiccup's attention, but he seemed strangely riveted to the ocean below.

"My queen," the Valkyries said with a bow.

"I want to thank you girls for the work you did today I don't know what we would do without you guys." Astrid said with a beautiful smile. "But for now, you are dismissed, go check on the supply line that is coming from the east we can't have them be delayed. Also get a good night's rest because the assault on, the city will be tomorrow at dawn so be prepared for it." She gave the girls a final nod and Hiccup waved them goodbye as they left.

"Hiccup are you alright?" Astrid asked her husband while maneuvering Stormfly closer to the king.

"Yeah, I am. Don't worry Astrid I'm fine. Just sad that there's so much bloodshed in the world and all over peace. We're fighting for peace. It's so backward..." Hiccup trailed off as the last part of the burning ship was consumed by the cold ocean and the flames were extinguished. "We do this all for peace. But I will promise you…" The king bit his lip as he saw the number of bodies floating in the water below. "I promise you we will make this world into a place people can live in without fear and without war. I promise you we will make this true." His voice hitched at the end and he closed his eyes.

Astrid took his hand and gave it a loving squeeze. "You're not alone Hiccup, I'll be here with you. I'll support you till the end of time and beyond." Astrid said, leaning over to give him a kiss on the lips that made Hiccup nearly melt. As they broke apart, Astrid smirked. "So, you ready to get back to camp?"

"Yeah, race you to it!" Hiccup shouted while urging Toothless forward, who took off as fast as a flash of lightning.

"Not this time, dragon boy!" Astrid shouted while pushing Stormfly onwards at full speed. Sadly, it was a win for Hiccup again. No one could keep up with Night Fury.


	7. The fall of Grund

"My queen, it is time for the meeting." A lean, young woman said as she took a knee before Berk's queen. Astrid had been overseeing the barrage on the city walls, her eyes currently fixed on the reloading catapults. She pulled her eyes away and turned to the young woman before her.

"Thank you, Clair, I will be there in a couple of minutes." Her gaze softened. "Would you like to accompany me?" Astrid asked with a smile.

Clair immediately stood and bowed her head. "Ah, of course, my queen! How could I not want to spend time with you?" she asked, slightly flustered. It was an honor to be in the queen's presence at any time.

Astrid started to walk back to the camp. "Well, are you coming or do you want to stay here with the siege engines? The choice is yours." Astrid questioned cooly. Clair smiled at her queen's humor and immediately fell into stride next to the great woman.

A couple of seconds passed in silence, punctuated only by the distant sounds of battle, until Astrid turned again to the girl with a sad smile. "So, how are you, Clair? Everything okay?"

"It could be better, we could have peace and I could be home relaxing." Clair said with a bitter laugh. Her tone turned serious. "We've already lost so many good people. Soldiers, Valkyries, dragons and so on. Sometimes it is hard to stay positive, you know? I... just want to have peace." Clair continued while looking at the ground.

Astrid placed her hand on the young woman's shoulder. "I know Clair, I know. Like you know the world is full of evil people that want nothing more than to have every living thing fear them and pay tribute to them like they are gods. You've had your own share of misfortune in your life, I know." The queen put her arm around the girl's shoulders, pulling her close. Clair leaned into the embrace. "We are at the forefront of a new age, a new world." Astrid exclaimed, but then she became quieter. "But like you, I am only human. I have fears, I can be hurt, and I can be jealous. We are the same, Clair, never forget that."

"Only difference being you have a husband that rules a whole freaking empire." Clair laughed and the black cloud of memories broke apart and the sun shone through, basking her in the warmth of companionship.

"Hahaha, yes, I suppose you're right about that, but I would still love him even if he was only a cabbage farmer." Astrid laughed, but Clair could see it in her eyes that she meant every word what she said. "You know Clair, love is an amazing thing it is your biggest strength but also your biggest weakness. On that note, do you have a special person on your mind?" The queen questioned while giving a nudge with her hip to make the girl talk. Clair instantly turned red in embarrassment.

"Hahaha, you're all red! If you don't want to tell me I won't press you." Astrid laughed while patting the girl's shoulder. Children grow up so fast. One moment they look so cute and the other moment they can't look away from the man they love. The queen thought to herself while trying to suppress the image of a green-eyed man with messy brown hair and the goofy grin.

"My queen, are you alright?" Clair asked while waving her hand before Astrid's face.

"Oh! Yeah, sorry about that. I was just thinking." Astrid coughed and blinked away the memories. She murmured something about damned green eyes but before Clair could question it, Astrid turned back to her with a sparkle in her eyes. "So do you?" The queen asked again.

"I had hoped you'd forget about that." Clair sighed and looked away, but the queen kept looking at her. "Okay fine. Yeah, I have one he is a guy from Fallburg. Nice guy, blue eyes, and black hair. A real family man. I really like him, but, you know, the distance and all."

They approached the first camp checkpoint and Clair kept her eyes fixed on the ground. Astrid gave a small wave to the guards as they were allowed to pass through.

"So how did you even meet him?" The queen continued.

"Well, he's part of the Nordic Trading League. He has two ships going from Berk to Fallburg every two weeks. They trade in furs, weapons, armor, clothes and so on, basically everything you could imagine wearing." Clair said with a laugh as though remembering something funny. "I was looking for a new weapon to practice with and there was a ship unloading some weapons. And I saw a really nice ax." Clair fiddled with a loose piece of blonde hair, trying to suppress a giddy grin. She stepped aside to let a blacksmith through who was transporting way too many swords at one time. "He tried to sell me that ax for way too much. I felt like we spent hours arguing over the price. We met a few times after that, too."

"You love him don't you?" Astrid asked with a wide smile.

Claire turned red in an instant and started to stutter as a mad man. "Y-Yeah, I love him, h-he's the best, you know. He's brave, kind, and generous. I can't get enough of him." The words all seemed to fall out, and when she noticed the surprised look on the queen's face, she turned bright red. "Ah! S-Sorry for all the rambling my queen."

"Don't worry Clair I know how you feel." Astrid smiled with a laugh as she stopped in front of her and Hiccup's tent.

Off to the side a group of Valkyrie guards were bringing materials to a new building. Astrid pointed to them. "Say, Clair, do you know what they are building?"

Clair nodded. "They are building a watchtower on the left side next to the inner gate of the palisade." The blond Valkyrie explained with a shrug like it was normal.

"Oh for the love of Thor, how many times must I tell everyone that you are worrying too much! We are surrounded by twenty thousand troops nothing is coming through that unnoticed." Astrid exclaimed, turning to shout at the builders to come down from the half completed watchtower.

"Yes, my queen?" One of the Valkyries asked while bowing to her.

"Can you stop building that watchtower for Thor's sake? You are wasting precious military material and your strength for nothing. Like I've said a thousand times, we are surrounded by a freaking army." Astrid frowned.

"We know, my queen, but we can't trust those savages that only want to kill, plunder and rape. I say there is an eighty percent chance of one of them sneaking into our camp to steal something or, worse, kill the king or you." The tall brunette explained, shooting dirty looks at the passing soldiers outside the Valkyrie camp and getting nods from the other girls.

"Ugh, okay, just keep wasting your time, but in Thor's name if any of you are sloppy while the battle is going on I will personally send your soul to Valhalla!" Astrid exclaimed, turning on her heel to go to the war tent in the middle of the camp. One of the guards opened the flap of the tent so the queen could pass without any obstacles in her way. Astrid was enveloped in warmth and darkness of the big war tent.

It was getting colder outside and Astrid was keeping tabs on the supply lines just to be sure if they needed to camp here for the winter. Providing supplies for an army on this scale was a logistic nightmare to put it lightly even for an entire empire. Weapons, arrows, boulders for the catapults, food, armor, medicines, the list went on and on. Fishlegs said that everything will be fine and that he is supervising productions in Berk but Astrid was still not convinced that everything will be alright.

"Ah, my lady! Welcome home." Hiccup exclaimed while putting his cup down on the table and walking over to the blue eyed woman and giving her a loving kiss on the cheek. "Wow, you're cold, are you alright?"

"It's getting colder outside. I think winter will set in in a month or so, we need to finish this siege or start getting more supplies ready so that we can make it through the winter."

"Ah, don't worry about that if my calculations are correct, we will breach the wall around midday today." Hiccup said as he made his way to the war table and started to find a specific map that detailed the outer wall of the city.

"And how will we breach it? We've been trying for months and there are only minimal results!" Astrid exclaimed in frustration as she took a seat in one of the chairs near Hiccup.

"That is where you're wrong, my lady." The king said, earning a questioned look from his wife. "Tuffnut and a few others did send some scouting in the city and a couple were able to infiltrate the place and saw that the wall on the east side is nearly crumbling."

"So? Even then it will take at least a week to tear it down and that's assuming they don't attempt to repair the damage." Astrid stated flatly, rubbing her temples.

"I know, I know, that's why I gave a zippleback bomb to the infiltration team. If the info is correct that I received, then the bomb is planted near the base of the wall, so when we give the signal the infiltrator will ignite it and…"

"BOOM!" A deep voice shouted startling Astrid and Hiccup from their conversation. Astrid jumped to her feet, grabbed the nearest weapon and swung it at the person behind them.

"Wait, Astrid, it's me, drop the ax!" The voice screamed. In the darkness, Astrid could barely make out the short, burly shape of the man. The scrappy dark hair gave him away.

Astrid groaned and let down the ax. "Fuck, Snotlout, how many times must I say to make your presence know! It is polite and it will not earn you an ax in the skull!" She huffed and took her seat again, keeping a firm grip on the ax.

"My greatest apologies, my queen." The broad man said while giving an extreme bow to her.

"Ha ha, very funny Snotface, but why are you here? Did a girl make you cry?" Astrid asked while looking in his eyes, making Snotlout twitchy.

"N-no, I was… beaten by uhm… a dragon!… Yes, a big one with hundreds of teeth! No, a thousand teeth and claws." Snotlout stuttered, rubbing his neck awkwardly.

"Would you two grow up already?" Hiccup interjected with a sigh. "I called Snotlout here and Tuffnut so we could discuss the attack plan and what we will do when we breach the city wall." Hiccup said while waving to a chair so Snotlout could sit down and look at the map with them.

"So we are going to use the zippleback bombs?" A blond man popped out of the shadows, his long hair nearly frozen into icicles.

Astrid scowled and threw her ax into the ground with a loud thump and yelled, "So help me if anyone else comes in here without being announced I will personally--"

Tuffnut shrugged. "Relax Astrid, I only wanted to know if we were gonna get to blow stuff up. That's usually what you do during siege isn't it?"

"No!" The queen and king shouted in unison.

Hiccup slammed a hand on the table. "We are not blowing up this city, we need it intact."

"Uh, sorry to be the bringer of bad news, but it's a bit late for that, don't you think?" Snotlout stated in a bored voice as he folded his arms. Hiccup sighed. He already knew that after months of sieging that most of the city would already be ruined.

"Those are worries for later now that everyone is here we can start discussing the plan of attack." Hiccup continued while taking a map out of the whole city and its defenses. In the mean time, Tuffnut took a seat next to Astrid.

"Can I lead the attack? My troops can't wait to break some skulls." Snotlout exclaimed while receiving a cup of ale from the king.

"Shut up and listen to him, idiot." The queen said with an angry look in her eyes.

"So, to answer, you already know in a siege the attackers have only two options. Starve the defenders out or make an assault on the city. But because the winter season is coming in I have decided to attack the city before winter can arrive and give us problems." Hiccup explained with a serious look on his face, but Astrid could she the worry in his eyes. "I asked the hofgothi to make a sacrifice and the gods answered her and said that Odin is planning for a harsh winter for us this year."

"Tufnutt and I already made preparation to blow up the wall and before you interrupt me again Snotlout, you will be leading the charge on the breach with your core elite. We expect heavy resistance and archer fire from the walls. Do you think you can manage or…?" Hiccup asked with a concerned tone in his voice.

"Of course I can! I'm a viking for Thor's sake! Who would back down from such a challenge?" Snotlout exclaimed while chugging in the ale down as quick as he could.

"I am assigning you divisions two through eleven to secure the breach and head into the city to these key locations." Hiccup continued while marking the places he needs to take.

"So what's my job, then?" Tuffnut said, now holding his pet chicken. It was a mystery how chicken had gotten into the tent.

"You are going to take a hundred men of your infiltration squad and try to get in from the south when most of the defenders are busy reinforcing the east to stop the main assault. Don't get distracted! That means no chicken or anything else." Hiccup said while Tufnut gave a look that his whole world was crumbling around him.

"First my stupid sister needs to get pregnant and has to stay home now you're telling me I can't take chicken with me to battle? What is happening to this cruel, cruel world?" The blonde man said in complete shock while holding chicken closer to him.

"No chicken! The chicken stays in camp and that is final!" Astrid said with a piercing look.

Hiccup cleared his throat. "So Tuffnut, when you are in the city you will start random fires, nothing big. Only here and there to confuse the defenders and meanwhile, you will open the small gate in the north of the city so that divisions twelve to fourteen can flank and surround the defenders while they are still confused." Hiccup explained while pointing to the positions of each division on his map.

He turned to the queen. "Astrid you will take the Valkyries and will help the main force as an independent unit, you can move freely and support troops where you see fit. But remember your main objective Astrid we can't fail on this one. I only hope our information is solid." Hiccup said, muttering the last part all the while getting questioning looks from the other people at the table.

"Main objective?" Snotlout asked while looking at Astrid and then at Hiccup, but he did not receive an answer from them.

"You will see in due time don't break your brain over it." The king said with a look towards his cousin that says he needs to stop asking questions.

"Hahaha, Snotlout having a brain good one Hiccup!" Tuffnut said while rolling on the ground and laughing.

"Fuck off you chicken lover!" The black haired man said in frustration.

"Hiccup, I am sending fifty Valkyries to you for a personal guard." Astrid said while taking a piece of paper to write her orders on.

"Astrid I don't need them if have Toothless with me all the time. Nothing will go wrong with the offspring of lightning and death with me." Hiccup tried to explain in a calm tone and hopefully making her drop the subject. But when Hiccup looked at his wife, he could only fear his fate. One look from Astrid sent Tuffnut and Snotlout running and making stupid excuses that they need to prepare the troops for the battle. It was true, but the king felt betrayed by his friends.

"Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the third you will take the troops with you if you like it or not! They will defend you in the battle where I can't!" Astrid exclaimed while hitting the table with her fist. "Every battle it is the same! I say I am sending troops with you and you refuse! We fight and then I do what I want."

"Astrid it's is not the same this time." The green eyed man said while placing his hands on her shoulders so she would look him in the eyes. "We will need all the people we can get in every sector of the city. Fifty people from the Valkyrie order coming with me superficially is one-fourth of their whole fighting strength. It's not worth it." Hiccup expressed in frustration. "Don't worry, I will be fine like always… I am more worried about you and what will happen this battle. What would I say to Rune and Ari if you don't come home?"

"And what will I say if their dad dies?" Astrid cried out while pulling away from him. "This is ridiculous Hiccup, and you know it." Astrid shouted while poking his chest with her finger.

Hiccup sighed. "I know Astrid… But I am so tired to see people die around me just to protect me… a runt. I can't repay them if they're dead. I've already seen too many people die right before my eyes." Hiccup said with a wavering voice that expelled all the anger from Astrid's mind.

The queen hugged her king as hard as she could and kissed him on the forehead. "Hiccup don't worry about me, I can handle myself fine like I always do. Have I ever gotten hurt?"

Hiccup kissed Astrid on the lips for what felt an eternity. "I will take the guards with me it is just I don't know what I would do in a world without you."

"See, I knew you would concede to me dragon boy!" Astrid said while stepping away and placing her ax on one of the armor stands in the tent. "So, want to have some fun before we start the battle?" Astrid suggested with a wink and a smile.

* * *

 

"What a joke. This is not peace." A middle-aged man said sourly from his place atop the wall. He frowned at the terrible state of the city behind him. This was certainly not peace, it was no different from the days of Drago Bludvist, where the clans lived in perpetual fear of invasion. He had seen those days and lived through them, as had many others. Today was no different. He clenched his jaw and turned his head toward his men. "But we must not waver, my fellow countrymen! We are Vikings! Death comes for us all. We can only choose how to face it when it comes. So fight and don't retreat because this is our home the last front of resistance the last place where you can be truly free."

Something tugged at his sleeve. "Dad, are we going to die today?" A young boy stood next to him, clearly no older than fifteen.

The warrior sighed and knelt to the boy's level. "Don't worry my son our fate is already decided by Odin himself. You, me, your mothers and even your sister. We can't change fate, my boy. We can only embrace it as part of ourselves and fulfill the task that the gods gave us at birth." He gave the boy's shoulder a squeeze.

"Does dying hurt dad?" The boy asked fearfully. Before his father could answer another man knelt next to the child and looked him right in the eyes.

"No, my boy, death is quick. A human life is a fleeting thing in this world one day you are here and the next you are not. The first time you will kill a person you will notice one thing how easy it is. I know it sounds scary, but when you, I, or even the enemy dies the Valkyries will come to get you and lead your soul to Valhalla where we will live in bliss till Ragnarok comes." The man smiled reassuringly and the boy nodded.

The sounds of the siege were soon drowned out by the banging of shields.

It was an earsplitting sound. Thousands and thousand of people banging their shields and making way for a man in black armor and the blonde woman that was walking beside him, followed by an array of warriors in shining white armor that looked like gods. The people stopped and complete silence engulfed the surrounding area, only leaving the sound of the wind and animals.

The leader of the army straightened up and turned to his followers. "My people, for the service you have done in this great war in which you lost children, wives, brothers, families I present you with the only thing I can give you. My sincere thanks from myself and the whole of the empire." Hiccup said, his voice louder than ever. "I almost always feel inclined to go in alone and end this war, but sadly, I am only a human being. I know what some people say. that I am a god, a being created from lightning and death itself. But I promise you, my fellow countrymen, I am the same as you! I want a better future for my children, for my people! Not merely for today, but for all time to come till Ragnarok comes and the final battle will start. I beg you my fellow soldiers to remember this day, not merely for your sake, but for the empire, and for your children! Remember this day as the one that will end all the bloodshed and start a new age for Vikings and dragons alike!" As the king finished, the army behind him started to cheer. After a while the king and queen started to walk slowly toward the city, followed by the people in shining armor.

"Archers prepare your crossbows for any unexpected attack." The big man in the front shouted to his troops. "Don't fire till I give the signal!"

The boy beside him took up the crossbow in a tight grip and looked over the wall in the direction of the approaching party. Now he could see that the people in white armor were woman and only women.

"When you shoot hold your breath and keep off the trigger! We don't want any mishap to happen do we?" His father questioned while showing him the correct stance to shoot an accurate shot. A moment later the party stopped before the walls and the guards made a half moon shape before the king and queen. One of the frontmost guards stepped forward.

"I present to you Emperor Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the third! First dragon rider, slayer of the Red Death and grand protector of the Barbaric Archipelago! And Astrid Hofferson queen of greater Berk, grandmaster of the Valkyrie order, protector and provider for the people of the north." The Valkyrie shouted to the people on the wall.

"Thorfin, I beg of you, give up this insane battle. There is no need to let all these people die. We can avoid this battle and come to an understanding that will make us both happy." Hiccup stated with a pleading look, hoping to get through to the other ruler.

And submit to you? And let my people die like you did with the Beserkers? Condemn my people, my history to be a footnote of a rule of conquest and massacre? No, great emperor, we will fight until the last man, woman, and child if we must!" Thorfin howled above the wind, giving a mocking bow.

"You are going to regret this Thorfin. We need to take this city otherwise it will become a place to gather hate for the empire. This will end today, even if we must kill all who live in this city." Hiccup said in a dark tone.

The boy beside Thorfin shivered in fear and his finger slipped, touching the trigger and releasing an arrow. It flew straight to the front of the army, lodging in the neck of one of the female warriors. The army beneath the wall erupted with fury.

A man turned to Thorfin and his son, his eyes wild. "Look what you've done! You've doomed us all! Stupid child!"

"I-I w-was scared." The kid shrank beneath the yells. The general on the wall gave the order to fire and the people on the wall took position and released the first salvo of arrows at the army threatening the city.

"Shield wall! Protect the queen and king!" Rin shouted to the other girls while pulling back in a protected circle. They raised their shields before them and knelt over the king and queen.

Hiccup caught the falling body of the blonde girl, crimson blood from her wound staining his hands.

Astrid knelt beside him, her eyes wide. "No, Clair!" She pressed her hand onto Hiccup's, trying to help him stop the blood, but it was no use. "Come on Clair don't die on me! There's still so much you must do in this life. Now be strong and hold on, okay?" Astrid gently caressed her face.

"We need to retreat." Rin said while the other guards made a tight formation and taking a step back. "Everyone fall back!" She called to the troops behind them.

Everyone was confused, the plan had completely failed, soldiers were falling everywhere beneath the arrows and no one knew what to do. In the distance, Snotlout's core elite was coming to give back up but it was already too late, they no longer had the upper hand.

"We need to help her!" Astrid shouted in fear to no one in particular.

"M-my queen it is too la-te for me." Clair began to cough, a ling of blood trailing from the corner of her mouth.

"Shit, I can't stop the bleeding, we need to get her back to a healer." Hiccup said, attempting to adjust his grip on the wound.

"Don't...waste your time... It was a good life… You gave me a new home... a family. I-I can't thank enough you for that." Clair said, her breathing becoming more rapid by the second and her skin beginning to pale.

"Take cover!" Rin shouted over the din of the war. "Protect the queen and king!" Rin said while holding her shield up. But no arrows even grazed them, only a deafening night fury call was heard and the sky was filled with purple glow as the city's line of defense was blasted. When Hiccup looked at Clair again, he noticed the pale skin and how cold her body was. A lone tear was rolling from Clair's eye.

"No, no, Clair stay with us! You can't leave! Your time is not up in this world…" Astrid said while stroking her hair.

"Tha-nk you mom and dad… I love you." Clair said hoarsely as her gaze softened to a far away place.

"You will not be forgotten, Clair." Astrid murmured as she gently closed Clair's eyes.

Hiccup did not register the arrow that was shot from behind him over the wall as a signal to blow up the wall. With a great boom, a part of the wall was consumed in a blue fire, sending flaming pieces of debris everywhere. Order had been restored with the blast and with a loud cry, hundreds of soldiers streamed around the grieving king and queen to attack the breach.

Hiccup gave Clair's cold hand one last squeeze before standing up to survey the damage. His night fury sat at attention before them, eyes trained on the enemy and mouth aglow. Hiccup went up to his friend and laid a hand on his wing, bringing the dragon out of his protective state, and he gave a nod.

Toothless turned his head to the sky and fired a single plasma blast that detonated in the sky above, a remembrance for what had happened.

From the other side of the city, the loud explosion was still heard, informing the people that were hiding deep in the forest to start the operation.

Meanwhile, a blond man was looking in the direction of the pillar of smoke. "It has begun."

Line Break

"Tuff the soldiers are leaving the walls it's now or never." Eret said from behind a tree. "We can use the grappling hooks that we got in the last shipment, it will be slow to get all of us up there, but it can be done if we are quiet."

"Yeah, Dill, Sed, you two take the hooks and some smoke bombs from the bags and one zippleback bomb just to be safe." Tuffnut said to the two soldiers that were lying on the forest floor to be as stealthy as possible.

"Now people, this is the plan from the king himself. First, we are going to climb the wall, after that we will secure the wall and split into smaller groups. Those will be split into five groups of twenty soldiers. Your job will be easy. Start fires and make as much chaos as you can." Tufnut explained while the men under him grinned at the idea of more destruction. Most people would find it strange but Tuffnut's army was a cover ops branch. They were masters of stealth and infiltration. But also crazy. Some of them were even borderline insane, but Tuffnut and Ruffnut loved them and their destruction. "Now just remember to be careful of the enemy and keep quiet." Tuffnut finished while the men came back with the hooks and bombs.

"Now move out and stay down! Also, Eret stay close I need you to lead if something happens to me." Tuffnut told the group while standing up from his hiding spot and walking in the direction of the walls.

* * *

 

"Hold position men! The rest of the army will be here soon!" Snotlout shouted at the top of his lungs nearly coughing due to the thick smoke that shrouded the area.

"Watch out!" Someone called from behind.

But before the enemy soldier could reach the black haired man, Snotlout turned and stuck his sword into the man's lower stomach, sending him to the ground writhing.

"Shield wall! Hold them back!" Snotlout yelled, passing over multiple bodies of people no different from them. People who had fallen fighting for what they believed in. "The main army is nearly here!" The bulky man shouted while stabbing left and right to stop the advancing soldiers. Blood was covering the whole place around him from the ground to the side of the walls. The smoke started to clear and what Snotlout saw mad his heart drop to the ground.

"Get d-!" Before he could finish the fire pot was launched and hit the shield wall right in the middle. Blood curdling screams could be heard from the burning people trying to desperately escape the blaze. Snotlout had only two things he could do, either retreat and save his soldiers before it was too late or make a charge and maybe they could take the siege engine before it fired again.

"My lord we need to retreat we are down to only half our men!" One of the soldiers pleaded while holding his wounded shoulder. The blue-eyed man looked the wounded person in the eyes and saw the fear of death but also loyalty and courage.

"We will charge, my boy! We are Vikings and we will die as Vikings if we must. Now men charge!" Snotlout screamed, stunning some of the enemies with his booming voice. Everything was going in slow motion now. People running to the front dropping by the dozen. He could smell the fire and blood in the air. He could see the crew load the next fire pot. Snotlout thought of his children, his wife, and his home. He remembered the good old days, when nothing seemed to matter and the only thing to worry about was how he was going to beat Hiccup at the next race... and he thought of Hookfang. Snotlout was happy that his dragon was back home protecting all that he holds dear. This was probably the end.

There was a crackling hiss as the projectile was shot and Snotlout closed his eyes, running full speed and waiting for the fire to consume him. But it never came. He opened his eyes and thanked all the gods he could name for the Valkyrie order that was currently ripping through the enemy forces like a hot knife in butter.

"Oh come on, did you really think you were going to die?" Astrid asked from atop of her dragon, who was shooting spines at the enemy. But Snotlout saw her red eyes, making him fear, but only a second later he heard the electric charge of a Night Fury passing them from above.

Snotlout stood wide-eyed before the queen, finally turning away to not show the small drops of liquid happiness that were falling from his eyes. "No, of course not! I was just thinking with my eyes closed!" But in his happiness, Snotlout did not see the enemy that was sneaking up on him from the side.

Astrid yelled and pointed as the enemy woman brandished her sword with a scream and lunged for Snotlout. There was a whistling from above and a purple shot was fired, sending her sword clanking off to the side, mangled from the heat of the blast. She froze in her tracks, suddenly defenseless.

"I don't like it when you try to kill my friends." Hiccup said, jumping down from his Night Fury and raising his sword threateningly. The brown-eyed woman did not even voice a plea, merely closed her eyes as Hiccup swung his blaze down onto her neck, beheading her.

More and more of the main army poured into the city. Dragons were everywhere over the city, creating more and more chaos in the battle.

"Astrid go!" Hiccup shouted over the chaos. Astrid nodded and took off with Stormfly, rallying her Valkyrie troops.

Hiccup turned back to Snotlout, pulling him to his feet. "And you go join the rest of the troops. We need to take the second wall before they can close the gate!"

* * *

 

"Tuff-"

"Shhhh, be quiet!" Tuffnut expressed in a harsh whisper, as a small patrol was passing by. "Don't ask questions just follow me. We are nearing the target." The blond man said and motioned for them all to cross the street. The other men followed him in complete silence.

Eret could see the target it was a small building where supplies were stored for the second wall. People were running all over, taking things and clumsily running away with them. The soldiers there did not care about it. "Tuff, we can't attack here, it's open ground for nearly a hundred meters. We need to go around it to minimize casualties on our side." Eret said while pulling a map out from his pocket and showing another route.

"We can't waste any more time… All of the teams will be at their position by now and we're the ones giving the signal to start." Tuffnut explained to the other fifteen soldiers around him. "Also, our second target is near here." He pointed to the big building at the end of the square. There was a group of soldiers that were moving a lot of paper and placing it near a big fire. These soldiers looked different, more elite. It made Eret uneasy.

"Why do you think they are burning the papers? Maybe they're hiding something?" One of the soldiers asked, his eyes fixed on the strange actions of the men in the square.

"Don't be stupid they're just making our job easier to destroy the place." Tuffnut said, suddenly hearing a patrol coming from the left road. "Hide!"

"Dave, how is the front looking?" The first soldier asked while looking at the rising smoke in the sky.

"Yeah, you have some friend at the top that keep you informed don't you?" The second soldier questioned while taking one apple from an abandoned market stall.

"The only thing I know is that we are losing the first wall and some of the divisions are retreating to the second wall." The soldier named Dave explained with a somber look on his face. "We are going to lose this war…"

"I never knew why we are trying to fight back, it's a battle we can't win even if we try."

"Don't be like that. We can win! Don't you know what the queen said?" The second soldier asked while taking a bite of his apple.

"Fight as one because we are Vikings." The two people said in unison making them both laugh. "It is a wonder how you can make us laugh even in this situation, Arid." Dave asked while wiping his eyes.

"You know how I am. Never changed only got a beard." Arid said with a grin but he noticed a shadow moving. Before he could draw his sword from his scabbard he was attacked. A sword sliced cleanly through his neck and he fell to the ground, staining the surrounding area red.

"Alar-" One of the other men tried to shout but he was silenced before he could notify anyone of the enemy's presence.

"Put them in the alley before they are discovered and throw some sand over the blood." Eret said to two soldiers. Tuffnut was over looking at the objective.

"So, how many enemies are we facing?" Eret asked, listening to shouts in the distance about enemies near the second gate.

"Now!" Tufnut shouted while throwing his spear at the first enemy he saw. It hit the soldier in the chest. The man was dead before he hit the cold ground.

"Every fucking time! Give us time to prepare idiot!" Eret yelled as he took off after the blond leader who had already made it halfway to their target.

"Don't be like that. How can it be a surprise attack if you already know about it? That's not how surprises work, stupid!" Tuffnut said while charging the zippleback bomb and hurling it at the objective they need to destroy.

A loud explosion was heard all through the city block, giving the signal to start Operation Iron Fall. Eret watched the building burn and some soldiers rolling on the ground to extinguish the blue flames that plagued their bodies. But it was completely futile dragon fire is nearly impossible to extinguish without water. For a moment he almost felt bad for them.

"Crossbows!" One of the soldiers shouted, startling Eret out of his thoughts of the dying men. The soldiers that were destroying the papers had scrambled for their weapons and more soldiers were joining them.

Eret took a smoke bomb and tossed it as far as he could to cover his troops, but it was too late before the bomb landed the first arrows were released hitting a couple of his soldiers around him. One caught Tuffnut in the shoulder, making him wince.

"More are coming!" Tuffnut shouted while holding his shoulder and putting a knife in a nearby enemy's side, sending the man to the ground hacking blood. Countless soldiers were pouring in from sides routes and building.

"Regroup at me!" The man with the dreadlocks shouted while throwing his second spear and taking two swords from his side scabbards.

The Berkian soldiers took a defensive formation behind their leader. Eret took his place beside Tuffnut, his hands red with dried blood.

"So what's the plan this time? Smoke bomb? Hoping we will be saved at the last moment like every time or something else?" Eret asked, trying his best to sound humorous in this tense situation.

"Don't really know, brother." Tufnut said in a serious tone. "I promised that I'd keep my stupid sister's husband alive, so start praying to the chicken my friend pray to the chicken!" Tuffnut exclaimed while charging forward to stab an enemy soldier.

"It's always the chicken with you! How can I take you even a little bit seriously?" Eret asked, running to attack another enemy, but he stopped in his tracks when an all too familiar scream hit his ears.

"Ah shit, they got me!" Tuffnut said while holding his bleeding side. He turned to see Eret frozen a few feet away and saw a sword lift over his head at the hands of an enemy soldier, and Tuffnut ran for his brother, his arms outstretched, and his mouth open in a silent scream.

* * *

 

Astrid was looking at the surroundings of the inner city. They were lucky that the second wall had not been closed. Rubble was everywhere from the months of bombardment. It was sad that so much death and destruction was necessary to attain peace. "So, how far are we from the objective?" Astrid asked the Valkyrie next to her that was holding the map of the city.

"About five minutes. We just need to go left and then right after that follow the road and we will reach the objective." The green eyed woman finished while rolling the map back up and putting it behind her white breast plate.

"Come on ladies we need to keep going!" Astrid shouted while starting her run again. Stormfly was flying above and looking out for any trouble that could come across them. Now that the gate was under Valkyrie control, the main army could press in and take the rest of the city. They had completed their first objective. The thing Hiccup and Astrid feared the most. It was finally behind them... but the resulting relief felt oddly false. Astrid had a lingering sense of doom in the pit of her stomach.

"My queen look." One of the girls said while pointing at a small girl that was crying near a body of a woman.

"Leave her, we can't stop now! We're on a tight schedule." Astrid shouted in a harsh tone, locking her motherly instinct away. "We will pick her up later!"

"Here we need to go left, it is not far after this!" The green eyed girl said, but the moment she had taken to look at the map was the moment her life ended. An archer shot her in the chest, causing the girl fall to the ground in a split second. Countless years of battle and training kicked in and even before Astrid could notice she already had thrown her ax at the attacker, hitting him in the chest. A life for a life.

"Take her!" Astrid said in an icy cold tone while pulling the ax from the body and wiping the blood of the metal. After a period of running Astrid heard the sound of metal clashing and the screams of the dying. When she turned the corner, she could not believe her eyes. Standing in the middle of the square was Tuffnut covered in blood from the top down and surrounded by dead soldiers. It looked like a total massacre. But when she came closer to the scene she saw that Tuffnut was covered in slashes, wounds, and blood. The blood that he was covered in was all his own. He was shaking and looked like he was standing at death's door. His brain did not even seem to register the reinforcements. Before the Valkyries could reach him, he fell to his knees and started to cry, shaking a nearby fallen soldier.

"Tuffnut are you alrig- " Astrid gasped at who she saw lying beside Tuffnut, a wave of nausea rising into her throat.

"A-Astrid is that you?" Tuffnut asked in a dead tone looking at her, but also not at her. His eyes were oddly unfocused. "Astrid… I-I think Eret's broken, w-we need to fix him." Tufnut uttered while placing his hands on the man's chest and giving him a shake again. "He...he can't be dead, he just can't...Ruffnut...she'll kill me."

Tuffnut said between sobs while continuing to push down with his hands periodically, as if all Eret needed was more air. "Do you hear me, brother? Ruffnut will kill us if we don't both return… W-We need to go home to see your children. They need to see their father..." Tuffnut's voice broke and his hands fell away from the body and came up to hold his face, smearing blood into his tears.

"Tuffnut we need to get you to a healer you are bleeding a lot…" Astrid said, bending down to touch his shoulder. "Avrie we need you here!" The blond woman shouted back to the healer while getting closer to Tuffnut, who was a broken mess. "It's too late Tuff, he's gone." Astrid said, a couple of tears rolling down her cheeks.

"No! No! He can't be! Astrid I promised her! He can't be dead! Now come on, brother, we need to go home!" Tuffnut shouted, going back to hitting Eret's chest and crying. "I was only a second too late to kill the soldier behind him… one second!" Tuffnut yelled.

Astrid stood up, giving a sympathetic look at her forlorn friend. "Arrie and Bertha stay with him and keep him alive till I am back!" The queen told the two women. They nodded and moved to Tuffnut's side, attempting to console him.

Astrid turned away with a heavy heart. "Now the rest of you lot spread out and secure the area don't let anyone through, friend or foe. Ten of you will follow me to the main building over there." Astrid explained her orders while the healer started to help Tuffnut who was just looking straight ahead without any trace of emotions. The tears silently streamed down his cheeks, but his eyes held no fire. He was nothing more than an empty shell.

Astrid ran with her group throughout the halls in a rush, hoping that the young girl of earlier was still there. The other Valkyrie guards were trashing the place. Throwing bookshelves on the ground, throwing paintings to the side to see if there was a hidden passage. From around a corner Astrid caught sight of the blond haired girl she was looking for.

"You there!" Astrid shouted to the small girl passing by in a rush. While giving a singe to the Valkyries to come closer.

"Shit, they've found us! I told you we had to stay put!" Another person shouted from somewhere in the shadows.

"Don't worry, I am not going to hurt you we just want to talk to you about some important business, Queen of Grund, last of her name." Astrid said with a small smile and taking a step closer.

"Don't trust her my queen they are just common folk." An older man replied in a hushed tone.

"She is a whore." Another spat.

"A snake." Someone hissed.

The other Valkyries drew their weapons, expecting trouble from the resistors, but Astrid held up a hand to tell them to stand down.

The girl at the end of the corridor looked Astrid in the eyes. Her blue eyes were cold and strong, showing no fear of her fate.

"We surrender to you, Queen Astrid, empress of Greater Berk." The blonde girl said in a sad tone, giving a small inclination of her head.

"No, we won't surrender! We'll never stop fighting you!" A man from the side rushed with his sword drawn to Astrid but he never made it three steps. He dropped to the ground with an arrow through his head, shot by one of the Valkyries. Not a moment later Hiccup arrived with some of the Valkyrie guards that Astrid had left behind with him.

"Thank god you're alright, Astrid. After I saw Tuffnut… I was so scared." Hiccup said, hiding his eyes from his wife. After crying for Eret, he was devastated inside. They had lost so many great warriors in this battle.

The young girl in the corridor narrowed her eyes at him. Hiccup sighed regretfully. Unfortunately, their information had been solid. He had really hoped she would be gone…

"I'm fine babe. Are you hurt anywhere?" Astrid asked, concerned for her husband.

"Don't worry, I'm fine. Toothless kept me safe." Hiccup waved her off before turning back to the young blonde girl. "Now, Queen of Grund. We need to talk…" Hiccup said while drawing his sword from his scabbard.

* * *

 

"Hiccup! Hiccup! It is time!" A female voice said.

"What?" Hiccup asked, confused at what was happening at the moment.

"It's time to get up." Astrid explained while getting out of bed and rummaging through her drawers to find a shirt to put on. "We're already late and the people of the mainland are here. We need to go greet them." Astrid continued as she picked out a new skirt to wear.

Hiccup groaned and sat up, wincing against the light as Astrid drew back the curtain.

It was just another day.

 


	8. The arrival of the mainlanders

"King Hiccup, it's truly a pleasure to meet you and your lovely wife." A young man said while shaking the king's hand with a smile that did not quite reach his eyes. He gave a small bow to the queen.

"It is nice to meet you too… Uhm…" Hiccup paused, trying to invite the man to divulge his name.

"Ah, yes, my apologies! I am Frank De Omvire the second and this is Father Bergham." The young man told the royal family, giving a wave over to an older man still sitting in his chair and staring off into the distance.

Astrid took a step forward to the man clad in all black and held out her hand cordially. "Good morning Sir Bergham. I am Astrid, queen of our great empire."

The man did not reply and simply stood up, completely ignoring the blond woman.

He cleared his throat and set his steely eyes of Hiccup. "I hope we can start talking about matters at hand and send the women away to do more things that will uhm… interest them. Don't you agree Frank?" But what the cardinal did not notice was the way his companion was signaling him to shut up and stop talking before they got killed for insulting the woman in the room.

Hiccup blinked and took a seat in the chair at the center of the room, clasping his hands together. "Father Bergham I am going to need to ask you to apologize to my wife and the guards here as well…before they decide to chop you to bits and throw your body back in the ocean to float back to where you came from. I may be the king of this place but I could never stop my wife from doing what she wanted." A sinister smile crossed the king's lips as he exchanged a glance with his fuming wife.

"H-He did not mean any offense, King Hiccup." Frank tried to ease the tension between the two parties but the bulky cardinal started his ignorant chatter again.

Bergham stomped his foot and pointed a large hand toward the king accusingly. "How dare you to talk to a messenger of god like that? You! Yo—"

Astrid clicked her tongue and whirled on the man. "Don't make a fuss here your holiness. We wouldn't want you to make an early trip to the other side, would we?" The queen asked, pressing a small knife a bit harder to his throat making the man sweat with fear.

"How dare you—!"

"My lady, please calm down." Hiccup lifted a hand in warning to both groups. "I think that Father Bergham is a bit tired from his long journey to the capital and he will need all the rest he can get for the departure tomorrow morning. Don't you think so too?" Hiccup asked while Astrid shrugged and backed away from the scared man, but she continued to eye him angrily with every retreating step.

"I am deeply sorry for the trouble my companion has caused you. I hope that this will not trouble our talk in—" But before Frank could go on he was silenced by the kings piercing green eyes. Two valkyrie guards stepped up to the cardinal in a heartbeat and forcibly removed him from the room.

"I'm sorry that you needed to see that mister De Omvire, but we don't like people talking down to other people here." Astrid said with a fake smile and held her hand out to the man. "Now I hope we can start again… I'm Astrid Hofferson, queen of greater Berk and wife of Hiccup Horrendous Haddock The Third. I hope we can make acquaintance."

At that moment Frank had begun to stress that the queen had uncovered their plan but he tried to salvage this situation as best he could. "Of course, Queen Astrid. It is great to finally meet you," he said while taking her hand and giving his best merchant smile, but he already knew that the blonde woman had seen through it.

"Please take a seat so we can talk." Hiccup said, waving at a chair that was flanked by two guards.

"Rune are you even listing to me?" A young red-headed girl whined to her big sister while walking trough the vast corridors of the palace. She just had to tell someone of her adventures with Bjorn.

"Yeah, I'm listening Ari. Just keep up with me. I need to get to Mom and Dad to talk about the mainlanders."

At the word mainlanders, Ari stopped and looked at her sister with a funny face. "What are mainlanders? Are they another empire?"

The older blonde girl let a small chuckle escape her lips, inadvertently making Ari feel stupid for not knowing. "No, no they come from a vast land that stretches as far as the eye could see from west to east."

"But why do they want to talk to Mom and Dad?" Ari questioned while hearing a bit of shouting in the background.

"Hmmm, that's a good question Ari, we don't really know. They said that they want to talk about the recent raids they believe that Vikings are responsible for in some of their countries, but no one had raided their coast for a couple of years so… I'll tell you when I find out more." Rune explained with a wink but her smile faded as she noticed that the screams were getting louder.

"Sis?" Ari said, her eyes widening. She was scared of the foreigner's curses.

"Just stay behind me and nothing will happen." Rune said and started to head in the direction of the commotion.

"Let me go! You cannot treat me like this! You have no right—" A strange man dressed in black shouted as he was being dragged through the halls.

"What's going on here?" Rune asked looking at the scene with cold blue eyes at the guards. And petting Ari's head that everything will be alright.

"Orders from the queen, my princess. We need to escort the priest back to his ship, but as you can see he is giving us a bit trouble at the moment."

"You there! Blond girl! Help me!" The man pointed at Rune while trying to get loose from the valkyries' grip. But before he could continue he was punched in the gut by a black haired girl that was escorting him out of the palace.

"Don't you dare to talk to the next queen in such a way! I promise you, priest, you will regret it." The woman said, mumbling a couple of Norse curses under her breath.

"Now take him away and if he keeps resisting throw him in the dungeon so I can pay him a personal visit." The blonde girl said while giving a smile to the man and a pat on his head.

Ari looked up wide-eyed at her sister. She knew Rune could be scary but nothing like this. Ari just knew that Rune would someday make a great queen. The little girl was pulled away from her thoughts when her sister began talking again to her.

"Sorry, you had to see that, Ari. Now, what happened with you and Bjorn?"

"Oh! Right, so you know that day when Bjorn said he needed to go home but his dad decided to stay for a bit longer?" The girl explained in excitement while getting a knowing smile from her older sibling like she knew why they stayed on Berk. "We found a treasure! Not even dad could find it! It was so big and it made strange noises and all…"

* * *

 

 

On the ship…

A figure was watching as two valkyrie guards took the priest to the rampart and pushed him onward, forcing him to board the ship. After receiving some more muttered curses from the priest, the guards left and started to walk back to the city.

"I see they did not like your loose tongue? Or am I mistaken?" The shadow asked while placing its cup down. "But you played your part well for being such a useless tool you know."

"Pri—" The man tried but was silenced when a fist connected to the left side of his face.

"Aaron, Aaron you know this would never have worked, but you and Frank just decided to go and not listen to any of my orders." The shadow said emotionlessly as two guards lifted him to his feet. "But I must say, nice costume it does look quite real."

"We were only doing it for you!" The dark haired man pleaded while getting on his knees. But the shadow only laughed and stepped on the kneeling man's hand. The bones crunched beneath its boot and blood began to seep into the floorboards.

Aaron did not make a sound. He knew that this could happen, but it was for the greater good even if he must betray his savior for it. He could still remember the long golden hair in the sun like it was yesterday.

Aaron closed his eyes when he felt the cold knife slicing his throat, not even wincing at the searing pain. Blood started the pour from his wound on the ship deck making the deck blood red.

"Take his body to the forest and burn it. No one can find him. And don't let yourselves be seen or else I'll give you a worse death than this bastard." The shadow said threateningly, taking a sip from its cup.

* * *

 

 

Hiccup was having a headache after several hours of listing to Frank and his ideas and he was nearly as fascinated by dragons as Fishlegs. It was tiring to say at least.

"Long live the empire!" A valkyrie exclaimed as Hiccup passed. The king gave the girl a small smile and a nod and continued further through the palace. He had never liked the place it was too big and there were too many guards for his liking but what can you do when you rule a whole empire. After a while, he saw a figure with red hair running from one end of the corridor to the other.

The green eyed man stopped dead in his tracks and a cold breeze passed him. After a moment's hesitation, the king decided to follow the suspicious figure.

He could see it running, it was a lanky figure with a strong muscled build but not one of the valkyries gave a sign that they could see the figure running past them. The guards just kept staring straight ahead as the king passed them, a few gave a small greeting and others tried to start a conversation with him. But he was not really interested and decided to keep following the man in front of him. And then the figure just suddenly stopped walking, as if frozen in time.

Hiccup came closer and closer to the red-haired figure and was about to place his hand on the man's shoulder…

"My King?" A voiced asked from behind making Hiccup jump and the figure in front of him disappeared like it never even was there. He turned around to see it was only Dain.

"Sorry for scaring you I just…" The young man apologized.

"Don't worry, I was just a bit out of it. You know how it goes in my old age." Hiccup told the black-haired man with a light chuckle.

"So… uhm as you know, Rune and I are dating. And, uhm it has been going on for a while now and I…"

"Go on Dain I'd never kill you for speaking your mind." Hiccup said with a grin noticing his wife's blue eyes peeking behind a corner.

"Yeah, I know so it's like this, I really like your daughter… like, a lot. She is amazing and beautiful and…" Dain stumbled over his own words, his cheeks a bright shade of red and his eyes darting continuously around the room—trying to find anything to look at other than Hiccup. Dain cautiously looked behind to check that Astrid was keeping him safe in case Hiccup refused and turned the guards on him, but he only got a sign from her to get on with it.

But what Astrid or Dain did not know was that the king already knew what the boy wanted to ask of him. There was very little that could go unnoticed in Berk without Hiccup knowing nothing about it. So Hiccup decided to tease the poor fellow while giving an evil smirk to his wife.

"So you want to talk about my little girl, then, do you?"

Dain nearly had a heart attack but decided to press on and just get the conversation over with. "Yeah, I wanted to ask if…" But he was interrupted by the brown haired man.

"Is there something wrong with her?" Hiccup asked, setting his piercing green eyes onto the poor man.

"N-No, sir! I love her. She's just perfect. To be honest, she's too good for me." Dain said with a flustered look on his face.

"So you don't want to marry her?" The green eyed man said with a raised eyebrow while the boy began to sweat.

"No, no I want to marry her but—"

"But what? Is there a problem or something?" The king asked pressingly.

"Hiccup Horrendous Haddock The Third let the boy speak before I kick your ass to Valhalla." Astrid shouted from behind the corner in an angry tone that made the king gulp.

"Just teasing babe. I'm the dad I need to give him a hard time. I still remember the day I asked your dad." The king said with a shudder as he turned back to Dain.

"My king, can I marry your daughter?" Dain exclaimed, bowing to Hiccup and clasping his hands together to stop the shaking.

"Hiccup."

"Sorry?" Dain uttered with a confused look on his face.

"It's either Hiccup or Dad, not 'my king' and of course you can marry my daughter." Hiccup said with a big smile while embracing the boy. Astrid could not hold in her excitement and ran to the hugging pair to join all the fun.

"See I told you he would say yes. You scaredy-cat." Astrid said, pulling them into a bone crushing hug as a chilling wind blew through the corridor.

Hiccup tensed and he could sense the danger.

"Can you really trust him with your little girl, brother?" An icy voice asked the king making his hair stand up. A couple of paces further he could see the figure of the lanky man from earlier now running in a straight line to the balcony of the west wing.

"I need to go now, but we will celebrate later at home, also Dain, bring your dad." Hiccup said while leaving his wife's embrace suddenly and dashing off after the strange figure. Astrid watched him go, her brows knitted in confusion.

"Dain, I need to go too. See you in the evening." Astrid said, excusing herself and running after her husband.

Hiccup sprinted after the figure and reached the end of the corridor, shivering in the cold air. At the doors stood a short, bulky, red-haired man.

"Dagur why are you here? You can't be here!" Hiccup yelled.

"Do you think this can last brother?" Dagur said while looking out at the city.

"We want revenge Hiccup… We need blood to rest!" The icy voice said with a horrific laugh and some unseen force seemed to propel Hiccup through the doors and onto the balcony. The sight that met him was shocking, the sky was alive with fire and the city was a mess of echoing screams and pleas for help. For as far as he could see, the fire was there, consuming all that they had worked so hard to build. The air was filled with the smell of blood and fire.

"Don't you love it, brother? Isn't it beautiful?" Dagur laughed with an evil smile, but the expression soon faded. "We want revenge Hiccup… That is the only thing we ask from you."

A sharp gust of icy air blew in front of Hiccup and whisked the image of destruction away, taking Dagur with it, and leaving Hiccup breathless and leaning on the banister.

"Hiccup are you alright?" A woman asked from behind. Hiccup jumped at the voice but relaxed when he saw it was only Astrid.

"Yeah, I'm just tired, it's been a long day. The king said, rubbing his temples to try and erase the images he had just seen.

"You know you can tell me. I'm here for you. How can I help?" Astrid said while placing her head on Hiccups shoulder and giving him a light kiss.

Hiccup sighed with a sad smile. "I'll tell you one day my lady when we can rest and be at peace. When we don't have all these problems."

He was happy for now with only the two of them looking over Berk as the sun was setting, and he would've given anything to keep it that way.

 

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading people I really appreciate it. also, I want to ask you, my dear readers, to review the story. I will reply to every review in a pm. I just want to hear what you think and if you have some questions just ask. if you have some ideas for the story tell me. I have a plan how this story is going to go but maybe I can do some more things. anyway, i am just rambling now so for the last time thank you and have a great day!


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